


Getting To Know You

by Sins_of_the_Scruff



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell, F/M, More characters might be added, Papyrus/OC - Freeform, Plans for it to get a bit smutty in the future, Underfell Grillby, Underfell Papyrus, Underfell Sans, i just want to love on the cherry sour, shortish chapters because reasons, this turned into another MAKE THE UNHAPPY SKELLIES HAPPY fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-01-05 15:00:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 39,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12192177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sins_of_the_Scruff/pseuds/Sins_of_the_Scruff
Summary: You're a nearly blind reader who's attempting to be friends with the less than friendly hot dog stand owner. You may not be able to view him in the normal definition, but after a few intimate moments with him, you see more than the skeleton monster thought was possible to see.**WEIRD HIATUS: MEANING THE CHAPTERS COME AT RANDOM WITH NO TIME SLOT SET. SORRY!**





	1. Chapter 1

The snow was just beginning to fall as you made your way across the park. The ice was getting to be a little tricky to maneuver around, but the use of your white cane kept most obstacles from getting you tripped up. You weren’t completely blind, more like just *mostly* blind. You could see things up close, but everything else was a blur fest. Certain disability aside, you were still as independent as you could be, though you never said no to help every so often.

You were slowly making your way over to your favorite hot dog stand that was in the park. Ok, so the hot dogs were horrible, and the stand itself was in the very back of the park where only the seasoned park goer would know it’s there, but you went for the patron who ran the stand. He was a crude, and often vulgar skeleton by the name of sans. You visited his stand nearly every day after your shift at the local campus bookstore without fail. He had an insult ready to throw, more often than not about your lack of eyesight, but still you came and dropped a couple of coins in the jar and took a shitty hot dog to eat at the nearby bench.

You could usually tell when you were being stared at, despite the lack of actually seeing them in the act, but slowly but surely, the skeleton began to take interest in you, despite trying to keep a low profile while doing so. The insults became fewer the more you came around, although he did enjoy the occasional prank or two, like the whoopie cushion on the bench. He absolutely loved that prank and would be unapproachable due to the unrestrained cackling he would emit while pounding on the rickety hot dog stand. Months went by and you were sure you had spent a small fortune buying almost non edible hot dogs just to chat with the skeleton.

 

_ “Can I see you?” _

 

Sans snorted,  _ “Whaddya mean ‘can I see ya’? Ya lookin’ right at me!” _ He had made enough money that he managed to get a stool for the other side and you rocked on the off balanced perch nervously. But, you shook your head and smiled,  _ “I know that, numbskull! I mean, can I feel you, like your hand! I may not be able to ‘see’ you clearly, but my sense of touch is off the charts!”  _ It was evident this question surprised him and he seemed to look away.  _ “Hey, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. It’s not something I ask often, and I’m sorry if it feels like I’m insulting you just because you’re a monster.”  _ You bit into the plain hot dog and were startled that it actually tasted better than the one last time. 

Eventually he turned back around and slowly held out his hand,  _ “no funny business, kid, unless ya wanna bad time.”  _ You nodded, understanding the threat behind those words. There were still tensions between the newly released monsters and the humans they came upon, but you weren’t dumb enough to start anything with one of them. They could be extremely vicious and mercy seldom ran in their line of actions. The smile that came across your face was almost goofy as you set the hot dog down and pulled off your gloves. If you didn’t know any better, you’d have said sans was blushing given the sudden burst of red where his face would be.

You gently took his hand into yours and immediately felt the difference. Instead of the cold, dead feeling that normally came with bones, his almost vibrated with warmth. It was cooler than your own hands due to the falling snow all around, but it was clear that the skeletal hand you held was very much alive. You ran your fingers over his metacarpals and phalanges, taking in the slightly rough sensation, feeling the cuts and nicks, when you paused as sans took in a sharp breath. You dropped his hand and stared at him, the red was definitely there and seemed to be spreading, _ “I-I’m sorry, did I do something wrong?”  _ Sans released the breath he was holding and shook his head,  _ “Nah, j-just hurry up already! Don’t n-need ya gettin’ frostbit from staring at m-my hand.” _ He was stuttering a bit and you realized maybe you had overstepped your boundaries.

_ “If this is making you uncomfortable, w-we don’t have to do-” _ He yanked your hand up and put his in yours, _ “just fuckin’ get on with it!”  _ You swallowed, put off by his sudden aggression, but continued on, feeling his palm area and taking note of how the bones seemed fused together. It was much smoother than his fingers, but still had texture to it. You rubbed your thumb over it a couple of times, memorizing the feeling, when a small moan emitted from the skeleton, muffled by his other hand in his mouth. Your eyes went as wide as they could, you didn’t even realize his hand could be that sensitive! Moving quickly, you ignored the small moan, even as you wished to hear it again and moved to the tips of his fingers, noting that they came to sharpened points.

You brought the hand close to your face to really see it and grinned. It was just so weird to see bones that were outside of a human body and alive no less! The sleeve of his jacket drooped and you felt down the wrist to the ulna and radius. He started to pull away and you quickly pulled the jacket back up, sensing his limit was being reached. His other hand was looked at as well before you were satisfied. Hands could say an awful lot about someone and his were worn and scuffed, obviously had been through a lot.

  
You finally put his hands back down and he quickly pulled them back into the pockets of his hoodie. He was definitely embarrassed, given how much red was in your vision. You pulled your gloves onto your cold fingers and finished your hot dog before carefully standing up,  _ “Thank you, sans. I hope to get to ‘see’ you again.” _ You only smiled as he sputtered as you reached for your cane to walk back into the neighboring campus,  _ “Y-ya not welcome! Don’t think this is gonna be a normal thing ya get to do just because ya blind!” _ You extended your cane and waved him off,  _ “Only with consent, sugarskull.” _ He was left fuming as you carefully walked away,  _ “I AM NOT A FUCKIN’ SUGARSKULL!”  _ Sooner or later you’d get to see him fully, but his hands were a good start.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that these are such short chapters. They're either short and sweet or painstakingly long, there's no inbetween for me. DX But with them being so short, I'll write and post more, if that makes any sense?

About a month or so went by and you dedicated a little bit of your free time each day to go visit sans. Some days you got a hot dog, some days you didn't. Some days he completely ignored you, some days he almost seemed desperate for someone to talk to him. On the days he did talk, you listened as he went on and on about his woes of the day, which usually just included getting yelled at by his brother Papyrus till he went off to work. His voice would crumble to almost a whisper as he wished he could stop being a burden on his brother and make something of himself, that his bouts of sleeping at his various jobs weren't signs of laziness, but a condition he had dealt with since they were back in the Underground. The words would start to bleed together as he started speaking faster and faster, his breath catching and heaving. 

You could tell a panic attack when you heard it and gently grabbed his hands and squeezed reassuringly, _ "Hey, hey, easy now, everyone deserves a little rest now and then. It doesn’t make you worthless."  _ To your surprise, he held onto your hand and squeezed back,  _ "It's just so hard, I try so f* hard to be worthy in his eyes and it's nevah enough for him. He just keeps pushin', keeps on me! It's just wearing me down and I don't know how much more I can take."  _

You heard him sniffle, obviously holding back tears, _ "You shouldn't have to prove yourself to anyone, but sometimes the ones who love us most are the ones who push us, to try and keep us motivated. Your brother...he doesn't...hurt you, does he? _ " He looked away, but only shook his head,  _ "Nah, he might sound mean, but he never laid a hand on me. It's all in his words." _ You were still worried because words could still have just as much of a negative impact as a slap or punch could. _ “Look, I don't know what you did back before I met you, but I've seen someone working 5 days a week for the past couple of months making some good money.” _ With that, you fished your wallet out and put in a twenty.  _ “Aw, [Y/N], I don’t need ya charity. I-”  _ You interrupted him,  _ “I would like 2 hot dogs and an hour of your time. I’d say that’s worth twenty bucks, especially since the hot dogs are just starting to become edible!” _ He grumbled under his breath, but produced the hot dogs. Your stomach growled loudly and your face went red. _ “Heh, I gotta be frank, kid, you sound like you’re achin’ for my foot long.” _

Swiping the hot dogs from him, you stuck your tongue out at him,  _ “You’re the wurst, you know that?!”  _ He simply chuckled and took a pull from his mustard bottle,  _ “I relish the fact that you’ve mustard the patience to put up with me.” _ You took a bite of the hot dog and nearly choked from laughing, _ “Nope, no more puns, I’m not witty enough for them.” _ He shrugged and you both went silent for a moment.  _ “Ya know, no one’s ever really put up with me outside of my brother, why ya doing it?”  _ You wobbled for a second on the stool before taking another bite of the hot dog and shrugging your shoulders, _ “You’re the first to damn near ignore my disability. Do you know how annoying it gets when people find out you’re nearly blind? All of sudden it’s walking on eggshells around me or screaming into my ear when I’m about to bump into something like I’ve magically instantly become deaf!” _

Finishing the first hot dog you continued,  _ “You don’t coddle me, you don’t think less of me because of it, hell, you even joke with me! You treat me like a regular human being! I’m not put off by the fact I don’t see well, it’s just how it is and I make do. You’re a friend, sans.”  _ Sans was very quiet and didn’t really talk much afterwards. Before you left, you held his hand once more and stroked his knuckles, _ “You’re worth something, sans, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”  _ With that, you left and went back to your little bookstore and finished out the work week, happy for it to be the start of the weekend. 

* * *

It was a several days later before you were able to make it back to the park due to the recent snow storm that trudged its way through the small town. As you stared out the window and watched the snow blow this way and that, you hoped he wasn't having to sit out in it. While stuck inside though, an idea came to mind. Through your various meetings, you came to find out that his favorite food in the world was, stomach turningly enough, mustard. He would drink it straight from the bottle and for once, you glad for your poor sight. Seeing him ingest it would probably make you sick, but you had an idea for maybe another way he could eat it that would easier on you. With the help of your roommate, you gathered ingredients from the pantry and then the special ingredient from the fridge.

About 2 and half hours later, a bizarre but sweet smell wafted through the apartment. You dared your roommate to try it and she did, warily. The first bite was odd she said, tasting the sweetness of the maple, and then the tangy bite of the mustard cut through for an oddly satisfying flavor. You clapped happily, though it wasn't a normal flavor of muffin, you were sure he'd like them. When the weather finally calmed, you wrapped yourself up and grabbed the small basket of goodies and set out for the park. There wasn't a soul out and the snowfall was fresh and untouched. The park was quiet save for the wildlife that inhabited it, but....wait, what was that? It sounded like shouting and some sort of scuffle? 

As you got closer to the back of the park, the sounds were of a 2-3 boys openly yelling and kicking at something. Oh no. You could see the hot dog stand was a heap on the ground and sans was nowhere to be found. The group of boys were all circled around something, laughing and kicking.  _ "HEY!" _ , you screamed, waving your cane around in the air. They turned and looked in your direction before skirting off, running away in all directions. You could barely make out the dark lump on the ground, but suddenly realized it was sans! Hobbling over as quick as you could, you dropped to your knees and ran your hands over his body carefully. His jacket and shorts were ripped in places and something like blood was dripping from beneath.  _ “Shit, sans?! Stay with me, it’s going to be alright!” _ It wasn’t going to be alright, but for the time being, saying it out loud helped keep you focused and calm. Fishing out your phone, you dialed your roommate and all but shrieked the park down yelling for her to come help.

As you waited, you gently rolled him onto his back and held him on your lap, clutching his hand gently as his left radius was almost broken in two.  _ “Just...just stay with me, ok? You can’t leave that easily, who else am I supposed to get a fucking hot dog from if you go?!” _ With tears in your eyes, you kept up the ‘you’re going to be alright’ mantra until your friend got there. She scooped his unconscious body up and the three of you fled back to the apartment as quick as possible.

The basket of overturned muffins were left forgotten, slowly growing cold as the snow started to fall once more...


	3. Chapter 3

It took nearly half an hour to get sans back to the apartment. You were running solely on adrenaline and your roommate had to force you more than once to move as she looked the battered skeleton over.  _ "[Y/N], if you're not going to help, then move."  _ You glared at your roommate, but eventually moved to the side, staring down at the broken skeleton.  _ "We need to get this jacket and shirt off, I can't even begin to tell what is and what isn't injured with all this...god, is it marrow???"  _ She held up a pair of scissors and was going to go for his jacket, but you interrupted, _ "W-wait! Let me, let me just try to get it off. This meant something to him!"  _ Your roommate sighed, but helped gently remove the tattered and bloodied jacket, making sure it didn't snag on his cracked radius. 

The jacket had definitely seen better days. It was faded and had holes even before he got into the fight and you often wanted to ask if he would let you borrow it and patch it up. It was obvious that it had some sentimental value to sans as he was never without it. You may not be able to get the marrow stains out of it, but the least you could do was try and hand wash it and sew up the holes to make it more comfortable.  _ "[Y/N], come look at this"  _ You sat the jacket down on the chair and returned to the makeshift operating table. Your roommate had already cut through his red sweater and removed it, revealing the marrow disaster that lay beneath. You grabbed your reading glasses, knowing they helped with your eyesight just a little bit more, but what they revealed was horrifying. It didn't look like anything was completely broken in two, but there were fractures on nearly every rib.

But what your roommate was looking at was a red, gelatinous mass that sat just below his sternum. Was...was it a stomach? It was soft and warm when you poked it...so that's how he filled out his clothes. You were pretty sure this was breaking the no magic rule, but that could be asked about later _ , "Ok, ok, so what do we do first??"  _ Your roommate was barely a month or so into her Emergency Responder job, but this was the first time she'd ever had to assess a monster's injuries. Thinking for a moment, she suddenly appeared to have an idea and ran off into her room.  _ "Hey, where are you going!?"  _ She came back not a second later with a small bag in her hand. " _ Alright, don't be upset that I didn't share these with you, but they are wicked expensive and the government still finds them illegal because of the magic ban bullshit."  _ She opened up the bag and let 2 or 3 candies fall into her palm.

_ "CANDY?! HOW IS CANDY GOING TO HELP HIM!?",  _ you screeched as she started unwrapping them and placed them into a cup on the table,  _ "look, it's monster candy and it's supposed to help with something like this. I don't think it'll fully heal him, but we gotta start somewhere!"  _ The three candies were unwrapped and your roommate began crushing them into a powder like substance before pouring some water in and mixing it up.  _ "Ok, I need you to hold him up and let's see if we can get this in him."  _ Just then, you realized you didn't quite understand how eating worked for a magical skeleton, but hoped it would help. You gently hoisted him up a little as your roommate pried his mouth open and tipped the glass forward to let the monster candy drink concoction flow.

Your breath held as you waited for the liquid to just drop out the back of his skull and onto your lap, but amazingly it did not. It...it just seemed disappear.  _ "[Y/N]! Look!"  _ You and her peered down and slowly, but surely, the smaller fractures began to fuse back together, a thin scar the only remnant showing that something ever happened. The bigger cracks were fusing together at a slower pace, but those would eventually have to heal on their own. Your roommate wrapped up the ribs with the bigger cracks and then fashioned a makeshift sling for his left arm. You stayed holding him in your lap, gently stroking his skull. Some cracks and lines weren’t healing and looked older than the injuries he sustained today. So many, including what looked like one big, deep slice across the ribs and sternum….like someone had slashed him with a knife or sword of some kind. 

He started to come around, brows furrowing in confusion and pain,  _ "Wha-wha? Where...where am I?"  _ His sockets opened and he blinked a couple of times, the red eyelights focusing on your face. He looked around and realized he wasn't outside nor near his stand and he instantly tried to sit up, only earning streaks of pain to assault him. " _ Ah, fuck me! What the hell happened and where the hell am I?!"  _ He looked down to see he was completely bare from his shorts up,  _ "AND WHERE THE FUCK IS MY SHIRT AND JACKET!? WHADDYA DOIN' TA ME?!"  _ He started to fidget around, trying to escape your grasp and you let go, instead grabbing for one of his hands,  _ "Shh...shh...sans, you're safe. It's [Y/N] and you're in mine and my roommate's apartment. You...you were being attacked when I came out to visit you today."  _ Sans grimaced as he tried to find a comfortable spot to lay. The table wasn’t going to be comfortable for him at all and you and the roommate picked him up, much to his disapproval and gently deposited him on the couch. He hissed as still healing ribs were jostled from the move _. "Your shirt's pretty much gone, but the jacket's hanging up. I..I was going to try and get some of the marrow out and stitch up some of the holes." _ A blanket was brought over and you draped it over him,  _ "now no moving that left arm till it's better set." _ He merely glared at you,  _ "What makes ya think I gotta take orders from ya....FOUR EYES!"  _

Ah, there went the insults again, but again it wasn't anything you hadn't heard before. " _ Maybe I am, but I can at least see you better now and what lovely red pinprick eyes you have!",  _ you answered back sarcastically. He made an attempt to get up again and you gently, but firmly placed your hand on his blanket covered sternum,  _ "STAY. DOWN." _ Eyelights blazing,  _ "DO I LOOK LIKE A DOG TA YA?!"  _ You stared down at the spiked collar around his neck, before throwing a finger through the o-ring and tugging slightly,  _ "Could've fooled me, Fido."  _ With that, sans came alive with a flurry of insults before your roommate finally put a stop to it,  _ "ALRIGHT, YOU TWO, ENOUGH. [Y/N], go deal with his jacket in your chair and you-" _ She turned her full attention to sans who was oddly enough, staring up at her wide eyed like she was a threat.

_ "You stay right where you're at! I don't have that much monster candy to go around and I'm not giving it all to your little arrogant ass!" _ He simply nodded and your roommate went away, most likely to put her stash back where she had it hidden. With a huff, you stood and yanked the jacket and spread it out on the table. There were several slice marks and rips on the body and arms of it and the fluff that lined the hood was starting to pull away from the outer material. This was going to be one hell of a job to make it wearable again, but after what he went through, he deserved at least this one act of kindness. You walked into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of rags, some seltzer and lemon, and a fresh pot of water to help. The rest of the muffins were in a basket on the counter when you suddenly realized you left them in the snow.

After setting the cleaning items down, you brought a muffin back and handed it to him as a peace offering.  _ "What the fuck is that?" _ You held it out to him,  _ “it’s a muffin...a mustard muffin…”  _ His sockets went wide with surprise, _ “a...a mustard muffin?” _ He eventually took it from your hands and sniffed it before opening his mouth and your own eyes widened as what only could be described as a red, serpentine tentacle emerged to lick at the top of it.  _ “Holy schnikes, what is that?!” _ The appendage quickly drew back into his mouth,  _ “What? My tongue?”  _ He stuck it back out and wiggled it at you drawing a heated blush to your cheeks. He definitely noticed.

You quickly changed the subject,  _ “Y-yeah, I made some to bring you, but I left the basket when I...I found you being attacked. What happened?”  _ He took a bite out of it and again, his expression was one of surprise and then his sockets lidded as he finished it off in another bite.  _ “Holy shit, kitten, that was delicious!” _ Kitten?! He must’ve realized his mistake because he went just about as red as you did and looked away.  _ “Some assholes came around the stand wantin’ the tip jar. I told ‘em to fuck off and one of ‘em took the jar, the other pushed me to the ground, and the other trashed my stand.Then they all took turns beatin’ on me till ya showed up I guess.”  _ You pulled his jacket into your lap and mixed the lemon juice and seltzer together to spray on the marrow soaked portions. He watched silently as you gently cleaned what you could and then took out your sewing kit and stitched up the holes. You held the hood up close to stitch the fluffed lining back on and when all was said and done, his jacket was mostly whole again.  _ “Alright, we need to let it sit and dry out for a bit, but then it should be fine to wear.”  _ You looked over and he was dazed, trying to stay awake.  _ “Th-th-*yawns-thanks, Kitten” _ His sockets fully closed and he was out like a light. 

Again with the ‘kitten’ name. You were going to have a serious talk when he was finally lucid about the pet names. You’d only allow it if you could call him sugar skull. That’d probably get him to stop. You hung the jacket up in a doorway and then pulled the blanket up and over him, it was so sad that you found him so adorable when he was passed out. With your glasses you could actually see him better and noticed he had a rounded skull with a permagrin that had sharp teeth. A golden tooth with a crack above it stood out to you, but like everything else with the mysterious skeleton, its explanation would come in its own time. Your roommate finally emerged from her room,  _ “Did the little shit finally pass out?” _ You nodded and she rolled her eyes, “out of everyone in the entire world, every single being and you went for the living skeleton.”

You tried to deny it, but she just put her hand to your face and laughed quietly,  _ “don’t even try to hide it, [Y/N], the way you were protectively draped over him while l tried to help him was so telling.” _ Well great, that cat was out of the bag. You looked down and gently pet sans’ head when your roommate asked,  _ “so what are we going to do with him?”  _ You hadn’t thought that far ahead yet, _ “I think...I think we need to find his brother.”  _ She shrugged,  _ “great, so we’re looking for another skeleton then? Good thing we’re not near Halloween anymore or else there would have been tons of them. Tons of skeletons. Totally would’ve made the search difficult for us.” You stared at your roommate seeing the grin spread across her face while you facepalmed, “Aw, look, even he enjoyed that one.”  _ You turned and sure enough, a large grin was spread across sans’ face. He was like a pun radar, you swore it.  _ “So, where do we start?”  _ You looked away and twiddled your fingers,  _ “yyyyyyyeah about that…” _ She crossed her arms and you know she was giving you the look.  _ “Oh no you don’t, I’m not going out in the snow to search for him alone!”  _ You continued to twiddle,  _ “I can’t just leave him here and you’re the one with like 24/24 vision!”  _ She shook her head,  _ “that’s not even a real vision and you know it.”  _ You huffed and put on your most pitiful expression, _ “pppppppppppppllllllllllleeeeeeeeaaaassssssssseeee?????”  _

After a moment, she finally scoffed,  _ “ALRIGHT! Stop with the puppy dog eyes, I’ll go! Argh, where would I even begin to find him?” _ You thought back to one of sans’ conversations and remembered that he said that Papyrus worked as an assistant chief in the local monster patrol guard, but where was it that he hung around?? It was a bar of some sort, sans said he absolutely hated the food and the atmosphere, but if there was any criminal activity, it would be there.  _ “The bar over by Ralph’s old supermarket!” _ Your roommmate thought for a moment,  _ “Grillby’s or something?”  _ You snapped your fingers, _ “That’s it!”  _ She sighed and went to put her jacket on,  _ “ok so when I find his brother, what do I tell him?” _ You thought for a moment, if Papyrus was as arrogant and volatile like sans says he was, there really wouldn’t be anyway to explain the situation without him blowing his skull. _ “Just...just tell Papyrus his brother’s injured BY SOME OTHER DUDES, please make sure if anything is understood it’s that we did nothing and that we helped him back and healed him. We don’t need an angry skeleton raising hell here, we’re already not getting our deposit back.” _ She laughed as she grabbed her beanie and put her gloves on, _ “like I’m going to be scared of a tiny skeleton? Rrrrrrrrrrrright. Well, I guess I’m off. Keep the phone by you in case he wakes up or when I let you know I’m on my way back.” _

With that, your roommate went out the door and you silently prayed that she would be alright.

 

_ “Good luck.” _

* * *

Coming Up....  
  


_ “Where do I find Papyrus?” _

The purple flamed bartender merely smiled as he continued to pour out drinks for the other patrons. They stared at the lone human woman and whispered amongst them. A few had risen from their seats and drifted closer, not a good sign. She kept her guard up, but continued to question the bartender,  _ “look, I just need to know where he is and I’ll be out of your way.” _

He seemed to ignore her and began washing dirtied glasses, the monsters were closing in around her and she got the feeling maybe it was best to leave before it got dangerous. When a group of dogs at the front of the bar started to quarrel and fight, the door suddenly crashed open. A tall, scowling skeleton stalked in and the group of fighting dogs quickly ceased and scattered about. She turned and made eye contact with the imposing skeleton and he immediately started towards her. Behind the bar, Grillby merely chuckled,

_ “You do not find Papyrus, Human.” _

 

_ “He will find  _ **_you._ ** _ ” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sans is fine...well, for now he is with you, the Reader.... Next chapter is going to start off with our lovely roommate encountering Papyrus and trying to drag him back to the apartment without any issues. Probably impossible. lol Anyway, thanks for all the kudos and the comments! I didn't really imagine that anyone would take a liking to this especially with how short the chapters tend/might be, but I hope to continue getting a chapter out in a day or two to keep it flowing. Thanks for reading! :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to give a name to Miss Roommate sooner or later, so here is Diana and her journey to find Papyrus!

The monster side wasn't the best place to be wandering around for a human. It wasn't that it was necessarily derelict or run down, it was the inhabitants that were wary of their human neighbors to be worried about. The monsters lived in an older section of town that was near the base of the mountain they emerged from. Tensions were still high and very few made the attempt to come forward and try to make friends. Diana was open to their new neighbors, even if they weren't as open to her. She had run into several monsters while she walked to the firehouse for her shift since it was located right on the border. Most ignored her, some hissed and yelled at her from the safety of their side, others...others just watched. She had heard the legends of the great Human-Monster war and when the monsters lost, they were banished beneath the mountain for hundreds of years. Diana couldn't even begin to contemplate what that did to a monster's mind given that they lived for so long, but she understood the hesitance and hostility they had.

She wouldn't fault them for it, nor would she fear them. She towered over many of the monsters, and most humans, at her 6 foot 3 height. So if any monster went for intimidation, they would have to crane their necks up and try awful hard to instill fear. She didn't want that though, most monsters fascinated her and she secretly wished that she could build a friendship with one just as easily as [Y/N] did. But, she knew with them being so new on the surface, it would probably take some time to even be able to speak cordially with one another without fearing the other snapping and attacking. Diana shrugged as she walked past the firehouse and then took her first steps into Monster Territory. You could almost feel the change in the air from one side of the street to the other, although magic was made illegal by the local town government, once you stepped across the line, you could feel it in every cell in your body. There wasn't a soul in sight, but that didn't mean she was alone. She kept calm and walked normally, but with purpose. Any ounce of fear or hesitation would make you a target of harassment.

Grillby's bar was located just a couple blocks down in an old grocery store. Some friends of hers had gone down to the widely talked about bar and left shortly after, saying that their presence was not welcomed.  _ "-sigh-, the things I do for you, [Y/N]. You are so going to owe me big after this."  _ The bright purple neon sign soon came into view and 'Grillby's' was spelled out in curvy, cursive font and as it blinked, it almost felt like a warning. She paused and took a breath before opening the door and proceeding in. The bar instantly stilled as every patron ceased their actions and stared at her. There were a group of guard dogs clad in black armor that glared, but made no movement towards her. The various creatures that littered the tables and booths simply glared, no one saying a word. Diana walked past, straight to the bar in the back. She could still feel the gazes on her back, but eventually the normal noises of a bar took back over and they went about their business. On the side was an old fashioned jukebox, playing music she had never heard before, but strangely enjoyed.

She picked a stool off to the side and sat down, fishing a couple bills out of her pocket. The bartender was busy tending to the patrons on the other side so she reached into her pocket and fished out her cigarettes. She knew [Y/N] would freak if she knew of her habit, but hey she could blame it on the bar if she asked questions. Picking a slim one out of the carton, she went for the lighter and flicked it once, twice, then growled when it failed to light.  _ "May I?",  _ a voice purred from in front of her. Diana looked up and then went wide eyed, a purple flame monster stood before her in a black leather jacket with a plush white fur collar trim. The cigarette nearly fell out of her mouth as he extended his hand and the flames from his index finger danced on the end, lighting it. Diana quickly took a drag, letting the flame catch and breathed in the menthol filled smoke. She took the cigarette out and flicked the ashes in the ashtray in front of her _ , "thanks..uh...." "Grillby,"  _ he finished for her,  _ "You're the first human to come into my bar and make it all the way to the back. Impressive."  _ His mouth didn't actually move when he spoke, but the flames would split open every so often and reveal a jagged mouth of sorts, filled with sharp "teeth", and he seemed to smile back to her. Eerie, but kind of awesome.

He picked up a bottle of something she didn't recognize and poured it into a shot glass, _ "I suppose that earns you a shot on the house as my first Human customer."  _ The way he phrased human made her wary. He was being a gentleman, but something didn't sit right with her. The shot of whatever it was glimmered in the light of his flames, the color seeming to change and shift. Ah, so this was the famed monster liquor. Some said one shot was enough to have you black out drunk for the rest of the night. Diana stared at the shot glass, her tolerance was rather high so this should be interesting. She picked the shot up and held it up, made a mental wish and tapped it down on the bar before knocking it back in one gulp. The taste and sensation was instantaneous as a warmth spread through her and tingles coursed through her nerves. It was almost like an orgasm without the work or mess and as she came down from the high, she opened her eyes and dozily smiled at the clearly taken aback bartender and flipped then slammed the shot glass down _. "Some guys can't take the heat."  _ she replied, winking playfully as she took a drag of her cigarette and let the smoke expel through her nose She decided she'd have another one and grabbed another bill, _ "but flames don't scare me." _ Grillby's surprise turned into a carnal smile as he produced another shot glass and filled it, clearly ready to see how much this human could take...

 

* * *

 

If the look on Grillby's face was any inclination, then he was more than flabbergasted at how this one human managed to go through nearly two bottles of his strongest liquor within the past hour or so. She barely looked bothered by it, but her face had flushed and she broke into random laughter more than once. Several cigarettes had come and gone, lit from his different fingers and once even from atop his head. Ok, so maybe Diana was a little tipsy, but she still had both feet firmly on the ground...they were just a little wobbly. She finally cut herself off after nearly giving her entire paycheck to the flaming bartender. Oh well, after the hangover she'd be sporting in the morning, maybe it was best to get her liquor needs out of her system and avoid it the next month. Several monsters had taken notice to her and Grillby's game and started placing bets on when the human would drop first. Many were losing.

Diana took a moment to center herself, who was she supposed to be finding again? Damn it, it was important! What was the name, Paper, Pasta, Pa-Papyrus! Grillby had left her alone to soak it all in while he grumbled and dealt with the other bar patrons, obviously sore about losing so much liquor to a Human _. "H-hey, Grillby!" _ She beckoned him closer to try and not attract any more attention. A few monsters had obviously grew comfortable and began to sit at the bar and she felt this was a private matter.  _ "What do you want, Human? To steal more of my business and liquor?"  _ Yep, as the flames danced and flickered on his head, she could tell he was a bit irritated. Sighing, she dug into her wallet and pulled out her last twenty, pushing it in his general direction. 

_ "Where do I find Papyrus?" _

He stiffened and narrowed his eyes, but didn't answer her and snagged the money she placed and went to the other side of the bar. Well shit, now she was out of cash and nowhere near to finding an answer. She pressed again,  _ "look, I just need to know where he is and I'll be out of your way,  I think I've paid my fair share to get a yes or no from you." _ Grillby continued to pour drinks for the others and as she looked around, monsters had started to stare again and whispered among them. She needed to keep her guard up and get out of there as soon as possible. He ignored her and began washing dirtied glasses, meanwhile monsters were starting to close in and she got the feeling she should go before it got any more dangerous. Even if a human was stronger than a monster, it wasn't a fair fight with a group of them up against her. When a group of guard dogs started quarreling near the front, the door suddenly came crashing open. A tall, scowling skeleton strode in and anywhere his gaze landed, the monsters quickly moved and got out of his sight. Diana fully turned around in her seat and made eye contact with the aggressive looking skeleton. When she kept contact, he immediately started towards her.

She could feel Grillby's heat behind her as he leaned close and whispered _ , "You do not find Papyrus, Human." _

 

The skeleton drew closer, his expression growing angrier with every step.

 

_ "He will find  _ **_you_ ** _." _

 

**_"HUMAN, JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING HERE?!"_ **

 

The skeleton stomped right up to her seat and glared down at her, large arms crossed, and the ever present scowl on his face. If that was meant to intimidate, it wasn't working, especially in her fogged up mind, she found it rather amusing. She thought she would be meeting with a small skeleton like sans, but this one, this was a big dude! She could hear Grillby chuckling behind her and rather be talked down to like she wasn't worth anything, she slowly rose to her feet. Clearly Papyrus was not used to anyone, let alone a human female, to nearly stand head to head with him. She may have been a couple of inches shorter, but she glared right back into his sockets with a mixture of liquid courage and probably human stupidity.

_ "Looking for you! I assume you are Papyrus?"  _ He scoffed and jabbed a gloved finger at her,  **_"HA! WHAT BUSINESS DOES A HUMAN HAVE WITH THE TERRIBLE AND POWERFUL PAPYRUS?!"_ ** Oh, his voice was already grating on her ears, but she had to get him back to the apartment. Gently, but firmly, she pushed the finger out of her face,  _ "Well, for starters, my name isn't 'Human', it's Diana. Miss Diana if you're nasty."  _ Somewhere in her buzzed head, she was proud of that line. Papyrus' sockets rapidly blinked before he glowered, the red eye lights blazing.  **_"MISS DIANA, HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO THE LIEUTENANT OF THE ROYAL GUARD IN SUCH A MANNER."_ ** Grillby had appeared behind her again,  _ "She has been taking my business away by being here. Remove her."  _ Diana was quick to turn, her expression one of outrage, " _ TAKING AWAY YOUR BUSINESS?! I HAVE SAT FOR THE PAST TWO HOURS GIVING YOU THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF MY PAYCHECK, DRINKING YOUR LIQUOR-WHICH, BY THE WAY, IS SHIT...AND I EVEN TIPPED YOUR FLAMING ASS."  _

Grillby suddenly reared back, the color of his flames on his face lightened in color as she continued to yell, her spit flying off and hitting him causing it to sizzle. " _ JOHNNIE WALKER, JACK DANIELS, GOOD OLE FIREBALL. WE'RE TALKING REAL LIQOUR THAT WOULD GIVE YOUR FLAMES A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY. LOOK 'EM UP."  _ Grillby merely nodded before Diana flipped back around, jabbing a finger into Papyrus' chest plate,  _ "AND YOU, MR. TERRIBLE AND POWERFUL, ARE COMING WITH ME."  _ Diana wobbled a couple steps past him, yanking on the tattered scarf, pulling the skeleton off balance and dragging him to the door. Papyrus' arms were wildly flailing, trying to keep his balance, but also wretch himself away from the human female. He waws eventually dragged out the bar and the entire bar was left stunned. Some turned to stare at the bewildered bartender when the door opened again,  _ "AND ANOTHER THING: THE MUSIC IS GOOD. KEEP THAT SHIT GOING."  _ Diana held two fingers up to her eyes and then pointed them to Grillby and back several times before letting the door close with the shrieks of the now captured and raging Papyrus being the last thing that was heard.

Diana had not gotten two blocks down the way before Papyrus finally jerked from her grip,  **_"YOU...YOU...HOW DARE YOU?! I WILL NOT BE TREATED LIKE SOME KIND OF DOG!"_ ** Diana wasn't having it,  _ "YOU SURE WHINE LIKE ONE!"  _ Oh the look she received after that remark was one of murder. " _ OH SURE, ANYONE ELSE GROVELS AT YOUR FEET WITH JUST A GLARE, BUT THAT AIN'T GONNA WORK ON ME. YOU GET THE SAME RESPECT YOU TREAT OTHERS WITH, SO THEREFORE, YOU GET DIANA THE BITCH. TREMBLE BENEATH ME or whatever." _ Diana huffed and puffed, trying to catch her breath. Papyrus was staring at her, eyes wide, his jaw opened and then closed, clearly dumbfounded. He had come across many humans while Underground, some that took their deaths like cowards, others that defiantly stood up and perished beneath him even as they trembled in fear, but this human, she had not one ounce of fear in her eyes as she stared him down and met him tit for tat. How interesting. Diana was glad for the moment's piece and pinched the bridge of her nose to try and counteract the rapidly growing headache she was getting.  _ "OK! I'm going to be calm from now on and I expect the same from you. I don't want any trouble, no bullshit, no nothing. I came here looking for you because I have new regarding your brother." _ Papyrus was definitely paying attention now,  **_"WHAT NEWS DO YOU HAVE OF MY LAZY BROTHER, MISS DIANA? DO NOT KEEP ME WAITING."_ **

He stared as she thought about how to word it best, _"Alright, now you and I are going to have an agreement right here, right now. Before anything is spoken, you WILL NOT go postal here, you will not go postal at the apartment. You will be calm as you are right now, got it? If not, just know, as a licensed emergency responder, I know EXACTLY where your week spots are, monster or not, I know how a spinal cord works and how EASY it would be jack up!"_ Papyrus was stunned for a second time and Diana took that as him understanding and went on, _"Great! OK, so sans is currently at mine and my roommate, [Y/N]'s apartment..."_ Wait a minute, he recognized the name of the other person as someone sans spoke about, something about her being his only loyal customer..." Papyrus' mind wandered, why was he at their apartment? Was he slacking off yet again? Papyrus frowned, when would he learn?! _"Hey, HEY! Stick with me, Papyrus!"_ Diana snapped her fingers in front of his face and he slapped it away. " _Like I said, the injuries he sustained were pretty bad, but we were able to patch him up and-"_ **_"INJURIES?! WHY IS HE INJURED?!"_** Papyrus thundered at the word, 'injuries' and instantly a large sharpened bone manifested in his right hand. _"Woah, woah there, Conan the Bonebarian! What did I just say?! Sans is at the apartment healing up after he was attacked by a group of men while he was working his job."_ Papyrus wasn't really listening anymore, **_"WHAT ARE WE STANDING HERE FOR, MISS DIANA. I WILL SEE MY BROTHER THIS INSTANT."_**

He started off in the general direction while Diana rolled her eyes and caught up to him, grabbing onto his scarf, much to his dismay and leading him towards the apartment, with his screams echoing throughout the neighborhood.

Forget owing her once, [Y/N] was going to now owe her quadruple for this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, Papyrus starts to learn his place with Miss Diana. Will he go quietly or continue kicking and screaming? lol


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dialogue is the WORST.

Diana still wasn’t back yet. 

 

It was almost 11 o’clock and you drummed your fingers nervously on your thigh as it bounced feveriously.  _ ‘Did I make the right choice sending her out by herself?’  _ You looked over to sans who was still sleeping, it was now going on seven hours and you guessed this was the most sleep he’d had in awhile. He jostled around while he slept and you made sure he didn’t move his healing arm, it almost seemed like he was calmer when you were near. 

_ “-sigh-, Out of all the knuckleskulls to come into my life, it’s you that I gotta get attached to? You and your insufferable insults.”  _ It was now 11:30 and you were sitting on the ground beside the couch, laying on one of the couch cushions, listening to the soft snores the skeleton was making. How did he snore? He didn’t even have lungs! You would’ve vaguely remembered seeing a pair of lungs as you cleaned up his ribs. All you saw was the dark, red stomach. 

Sans grunted in his sleep as he moved again, trying to find a comfortable spot. The blanket fell away and you were once again greeted by the red mass that currently inhabited the space beneath his ribs. The magic that made up his stomach seemed to stay congealed in that one spot and despite your better judgment, you carefully laid your hand across the middle of it. Sans made a noise and you immediately removed the hand and held your breath, waiting for him to start yelling. A minute or so passed and he continued to sleep. You settled for your three middle fingers and gently made a path across the wide swatch his stomach. It was a soft, but solid core and slightly warm to the touch. A full body shiver came over sans and what little you could see of his face spread into a small smile. 

Feeling bold, you carefully shuffled closer, leaning in to get a better look. The magic was slightly see through and the vague outline of his spine and iliac bones were visible. The bones fascinated you, even if they were somewhat similar to your own. Just something about the bones being part of a living creature was so cool! But, as your gaze traveled upwards, there were marks and nicks that troubled you. Ghosting your fingers across the bottom most set of ribs, there were several chips and gaps, probably from just normal wear and tear and the lack of muscle, fat, and skin to cover them. Sans groaned and again you froze, staring up at him.  Ok, you needed to get whatever fascination out of you before you woke and pissed off the magic skeleton. 

His ribs and sternum were wide set and you could see what looked like a dark, deep fracture trailing across it. It started on one of the bottom most ribs on the left and made a path diagonally up and over the sternum to nearly the right clavicle. Whatever did this was sharp and he never fully healed. He couldn’t possibly have survived a cut like this!? Your hand moved over the right side of his ribs and stopped when you felt a warm, pulsing...thing from beneath. You peered closer and saw a tiny white, upside down heart hovering just inside. You knew that was probably the most important thing not to touch, so you just left your hand to lay over it, enjoying the warmth it radiated and calming pulses. It was so nice as you sighed and drew your gaze up to his face where he was clearly wide awake and staring back at you, lazily amused.

 

_ “Ya definition of consent is real questionable, [Y/N]” _

 

You pulled your hand away like it was burnt and scrambled back, knocking your head on the coffee table just behind you.  _ “Ow, ugh ok I think I deserved that..”  _ You rubbed the back of your head as you tried to avoid the smirking skeleton that was obviously now awake. _ “S-sorry, I, I don’t know what came over me.”  _ And you were telling the truth on that, you had no earthly idea what made you touch him like that. The marbles from your head had to be rolling all over the floor into cracks and crevices, never to return. Sans grimaced as he sat up and stretched what limbs he could,  _ “Heh, just ribbin’ ya, kid. Can’t remember when I had such soft hands on me.”  _ He winked and you went 10 shades of red.

You pushed your glasses up and glared at him,  _ “we are SO not having this conversation right now.” _ He simply shrugged, _ “Ya humans got 206 bones in ya body. Just thought you might be lookin’ for one more.”  _ Good god, you couldn’t handle an innuendo right now.  _ “Yes we do, and no I’m not and I think we’re done here.”  _ You struggled up to your knees when he grabbed your arm and yanked you forward,  _ “Ya playing an awfully dangerous game, kitten. Are ya sure ya want ta keep it up?”  _ His gaze was deathly serious as you tried to swallow your fear. The gaze went on for a moment longer and then he let you go, laughing loudly. 

_ “Humans are such a fuckin’ riot. They act so high and mighty until they’re up against and wall then shrivel up like cowards. Pathetic.” _ Rubbing your slightly sore wrist, you sat on top of the coffee table across from him and glanced down at the floor,  _ “You’re not the first one to call me pathetic so whatever reaction you’re looking for, you’re not going to get it.”  _ You expected a sarcastic comeback or something along those lines, but were met with silence. “Who’s called you pathetic?”, he eventually ground out, sounding oddly irritated. You shrugged, “what does it matt-” He leaned forward and grabbed your chin, forcing it upwards so your gaze met his. “It matters ta me, now who. said. it.” 

Your eyes widened, not expecting him to be concerned. He still held your chin, but your gaze went off to the side as you tersely answered,  _ “Ex-boyfriend.”  _ His grip instantly dropped and he leaned back into the couch. You were sure he was waiting for an explanation and you sighed, trying to figure out the best and shortest way to explain. _ “Look, he was just some asshole that I made the mistake of trying to see the best in years ago and I was wrong. I was so wrong.”  _ You crossed your arms protectively in front of you as you leaned down, still staring off in some random direction.  _ “When you give your all to someone, especially when you’re imperfect, you expect that someone to give themselves back to you just the same. Instead, I got lies and ridicule. I’m fucking blind literally and figuratively it seems.” _ You laughed lowly as tears welled up in your eyes, _ “Everyday I work on erasing what he did to me,” _ you removed your glasses and let your hands rest on your knees to whisper maybe just to yourself,  _ “I am not pathetic. I am strong and capable of anything I set myself to.” _

As the tears fell and what little vision blurred, you felt sans’ good arm wrap around you in a poor man’s hug. It felt genuine enough and you leaned into it. “ _ You’re worth somethin;’, [Y/N], don’t let anyone tell ya otherwise...at least that’s what I’ve heard said ta me from some four eyed human.”  _ You grinned and wiped away tears,  _ “couldn’t even come up with anything original, sugar skull?” _ He released you and fell back against the couch again,  _ “can’t a skeleton get partial credit?”  _ A sigh escaped your mouth and you wiped your face with the back of your sleeve, putting the glasses back on  _ “fine, fine, you get partial credit. I can certainly see you’re feeling better after sleeping for almost 10 hours.” _ Sans blinked a couple of times,  _ “Damn, I think that’s the most I’ve ever gotten.” _

_ “Didn’t do much for your looks, you still look dead on arrival.” _ He mocked offense and retorted,  _ “I’ll have you know people are DYING to get these under the eye socket looks and don’t even get close. Pity.” _ You laughed and shook your head,  _ “So how do you feel?”  _ He shuffled around a bit and moved the arm that was in the sling before slipping it out. The crack had all but healed, leaving a small line to mark what happened, but other than that he seemed fine.  _ “Nothing a shirt and maybe another muffin couldn’t heal.”  _ You rolled your eyes and stood, walking into Diana’s room to fetch an oversized shirt. You found the perfect one with the saying, “Sarcasm: Just One of the Many Services I Offer.” You threw the shirt at the back of his skull and went into the kitchen to grab a muffin for him and an apple for yourself. By the time you came back, he was thoroughly in a better mood with a shirt on and good god, it fit him, but was way too long.  _ “Nice gown, Princess,”  _ you said as you tossed the muffin to him. He scowled as he caught it and began stuffing his face. You ate your apple quietly for a bit before asking him what you knew was going to be a personal question,  _ “sans, what is the scar on your torso from?”  _ He choked a bit on the last of the muffin,  _ “T-that’s, uh...it’s…”  _ You shook your head,  _ “I’m sorry, that was forward of me...again. Forget I said anything.”  _ His own fingers drummed on the armrest before he answered,  _ “No, no, it’s fine. It’s, uh, probably time I get it off my chest, no pun intended this time.”  _

You set the apple down and sat next to him on the couch and for the next hour or so, you listened with conflicting emotion as he explained his life back Underground. From the birth of Papyrus all the way up to the falling of the seventh child, Frisk, and the hundreds of resets, you were shocked at just how much history he had and went through.  _ “...and just like that, the kid broke the barrier and here we all are. There are times where I’m afraid to sleep, fearful that another reset will happen and I find myself waking on that ratty mattress again.”  _ You removed your glassed for probably the 8th time as you wiped away more tears,  _ “God, sans, do you realize how strong you are for going through all that?! I won’t lie, I...I don’t think I could make it time after time, having to repeat a nightmare like that over and over. What you did was a selfless act that I hope you never have to make again.” _

He played with the shirt in his lap,  _ “Heh, thanks kit-[Y/N]. I’m still an asshole, though. Nothing can change that.” _ You agreed,  _ “That you are, but I think there are some good people in the world that are assholes, too. Magical skeletons included.” _ He rolled his eye lights as you snorted and cleaned your glasses and placed them back on to see a far calmer sans then you ever remembered seeing. _ “S-so, any idea when your roommate is supposed to be back with Boss? I kinda think I’ve overstayed my welcome what with bleeding on your table, eating your food, and then bawling out my sob story…” _ He glanced away towards the door with a nervous look as you finally shook your head and called out to get his attention,  _ “sans.” _ He turned back around and you grabbed his skull and leaned in,  _ “stay as long as you want, sugar skull” _ and kissed him.

He froze up in your grip, in shock at your bold move, but as you continued to peck kisses against his mouth, he warmed up to it and began to kiss back.You smiled through it and when you finally had to come up for air, he pulled you in again and took control. His mouth opened and you felt something foreign against your lips. It prodded against the closed seam and you let out a gasp in surprise as it took the advantage to slither in. You reared back only to have sans wrap his hand in your hair and keep you close as what could only be described as a thick, slimy appendage explored every inch of your mouth. You figured out moments later when he let you breath again that it was his tongue invading your mouth to tangle with your own. His eye lights were fuzzy around the edges and your own gaze was lidded and you both went for another round of heavy kissing as your hands started to roam around on each other. You both failed to notice the door to the apartment opening and two figures stomping in.

  
**_“SANS?!”_ ** _ “[Y/N]?!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just what were Diana and Papyrus up to while you and sans were bawling in each other's arms you may ask? Tune in next time! ;) Seriously, thanks for all the kudos and comments. I really didn't plan on having so many folks take a liking to this, but yeah, I'll keep trying to get chapters out and have them make sense(no promises).


	6. Chapter 6

_ “Will you hurry up already?! God, for a bag of bones, you sure are heavy!” _   
  


Diana had her hand wrapped around the dark red scarf and she tugged more than once, but the tall skeleton wasn’t moving. He stood and glowered at her, finally done with being paraded around like a dog for the past 10 minutes.  **_“I WILL NO LONGER BE LED LIKE SOME COMMONPLACE MONGREL!”_ ** Diana glared right back at him, _ “well FINE! Would you KINDLY walk this way towards the apartment? PLEASE?!” _ Her words were short and had the bare minimum of courtesy tacked on. **_“BE QUICK ABOUT IT, MISS DIANA. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE TO MY BROTHER AND THEN BE ON OUR WAY.”_ **

She rolled her eyes but stomped away towards the dividing line. There was a short sign that warned any humans that if they chose to travel over, there would be no help for them if they found themselves in trouble. Likewise, the monster side warned of magic use being forbidden on the human side while someone had hastily scrawled, “KILL OR BE KILLED” at the bottom. Crossing over, she sighed with relief when she saw the tops of the apartment building in the near distance and waved her hand,  _ “C’mon, Bonebarian, just a few more blocks then-” _

A can was suddenly kicked out into the street from the alleyway and from the darkness emerged 5 men carrying bats and cracking their knuckles. Diana stopped in her tracks as Papyrus ran into her,  **_“HU-MISS DIANA, WHY DO WE KEEP STOPPING?!”_ ** The sound of a match striking the brick and lighting a cigarette caught Diana’s attention as what seemed like the ringleader came through the group of men that were starting to surround them.  _ “My...my...what’s a pretty thing like you doing with an ugly monster like that?!”  _

Diana felt the change in the atmosphere as the hairs on the back of her neck and arms rose with the crackling tension that was no doubt emanating from the monster behind her. She couldn’t afford to let him conjure anything magic, with the amount of tracking the government was doing on magic, any spark would set off alarm bells and it would be there word against hers...and Papyrus’. _ “Look guys, we don’t want any trouble, we’re just on our way back to the apartment to locate his brot-” _ The ringleader sneered at her,  _ “Eh, so you’re one of those monster fuckers?”  _ He took a drag of the cigarette and gave her a once over and then to Papyrus.  _ “Really? A skeleton? Lady, what he ain’t got, I KNOW for a fact I have and I sure as hell could give you a better time.”  _

His cronies snickered and laugh while Diana’s mouth dropped open in shock, it quickly closed and she bit her tongue. She really wanted to tell him off, but that would only make matters worse.  _ “‘Ey, Jack, this dude looks familiar. Looks a bit like the one we roughed up this mornin’”  _ Diana’s eyes went wide, THESE were the thugs that beat up sans?! A low growl emanated behind her. Oh this was not going to turn out well.  **_“YOU...YOU INJURED MY BROTHER?!?”_ ** The air was getting that crackling feeling again and Diana put her hand back on his chest plate to try and keep him still. Keeping him calm was out of the question now.  _ “Heh! The little fucker wouldn’t stop sobbing. ‘I’m sorry, Papyrus! I’m sorry I’m such a failure! Forgive me! Wah wah wa’-mpnh!”  _

Diana threw her fist into the guy’s face, effectively knocking him on his ass. Shaking her sore hand, she stared up at the ringleader,  _ “I bet his dick stays hard while yours stays a fucking limp noodle. If you gotta beat up others to make you feel good, that dick wouldn’t last a minute with me.” _ He ground the cigarette between his teeth and snapped his fingers. The remaining men started to creep in as Diana pressed her hand back on Papyrus’ chest plate and pushed him backwards. **_“HUMAN! I WILL RETREAT LIKE SOME COWARD. I WILL FIGHT TO MY DUSTING SECONDS AND SPILL THE BLOOD THAT IS DESERVED.”_ ** Diana continued to push at him, and when he wouldn’t move she spun around and screamed as she grabbed his scarf and whirled him around with what strength she didn’t know she had and threw him away. The movement was enough to catch the men by surprise and they scattered as Diana caught the staggering skeleton and pushed him once more, **_“HUMAN. YOU WILL NOT STAND IN MY WAY OF THIS FIGHT. I WILL HAVE VENGEANCE.”_ **

Diana quickly rolled up her sleeves and got into a fighting stance,  _ “YEAH, YEAH, BONEHEAD. BUT WE’RE GONNA DO IT ON YOUR HOME TURF.”  _ Papyrus looked around as the men started to run towards them and smiled as a his eye lights brightened. The men crossed over as the ringleader suddenly realized what Diana had planned,  _ “NO, GET BACK HERE YOU IDIOTS!”  _ Papyrus was cackling as his magic crackled to life and two bone constructs were summoned. He twisted them around, feeling the weight of them and locked on to his first prey when the one in his right hand was snagged from him,  **_“HEY!”_ ** Diana merely smiled back just as wickedly, _ “Ohhhh, you don’t get to have all the fun, Boneboy!” _ , and she met one of the thug’s bat swings with her own and began smashing at him with all her might, laughing deviously. Papyrus was awestruck and nearly smacked with the bat before he blocked it and started to fight with two that came at him.

Diana was having the time of her life. Truth be told, before becoming an Emergency Responder, she longed to become apart of the local police force where she could put her defense training to work. When she failed the firearms qualifications because of her shakes, she went with the next best job as the EMT. But now, she didn’t have a gun, she had a rather large bone club and she wasn’t taking down a criminal in the most legal of definitions, but hey, an eye for an eye. With a sickening crack, she swung the club around to connect with one of the thug’s face, sending him sprawling to the ground, a couple of teeth flying into the air. Papyrus was dealing with two others and seemed to be having his own fun, screaming in the terrified faces as he produced yet another bone construct and swung both with accuracy and nailed both in one hit. 

Diana was so busy watching Papyrus, she didn’t notice the other thug coming up from the side and she was tackled to the ground. He got in a few punches to her face as she struggled to grab his hands. She changed tactics and kicked upwards, landing a few hits to his crotch and he wheezed and crumpled to the side. She rolled away and crouched, getting her bearings when the click of a gun sounded. The former thug she had punched was aiming a gun right at her forehead. She glared at him and tensed, waiting for the time to jump when a bone launched from behind and embedded itself in his hand. He shrieked as he dropped the gun and clutched his hand as blood dripped down from the bone shard that was in the middle of his palm. Another bone came shooting again and crashed into his chest. He made a choked sound as he crumpled to the ground, very much dead. 

Diana got to her feet and stared over in the direction of the ringleader to see he was quickly sprinting away. She broke out into a run after him and tackled him to the ground.  _ “Oh no, no, no. We’re not done here yet…”  _ He was whimpering as he held his hands to his face,  _ “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! We’ll give the fuckin’ money back. Just don’t hurt me!” _ Diana stood and grabbed the collar of his shirt and dragged him back and over the border. She threw him at Papyrus’ feet. He immediately curled into a ball as Papyrus knelt down and snagged him by the hair to force him to look at him, **_“DO YOU WISH FOR MERCY, HUMAN?”_ ** He shook his head violently,  _ “Y-yes, I do! I’m sorry, please give me mercy!” _ Papyrus dropped the human’s head and stood, stepping on him as he passed over the border. He pulled Diana away and she stared at him for a moment before grabbing the sides of his skull and planting a huge kiss on his teeth. She released him and limped away,  _ “SO GOING TO REGRET THAT IN THE MORNING, BUT FOR NOW I AM NOT SORRY.” _ Papyrus shrieked in rage as he followed her and they returned to their original destination of the apartment, the blush on his cheekbones going unnoticed for now.

A moment or so passed and the ringleader slowly unfurled himself. He was...ok? He started to get to his feet when a low whirring noise from above caught his attention. The noise grew higher in pitch and as he stared up, a gigantic monstrous skull was staring back down at him, its gaping maw producing a bright reddish white ball of energy. He barely had time to scream before the maw opened wider and the energy was shot towards him. Papyrus was only a block or so away when he snapped his fingers. A loud explosion rocked the quiet border area and the screams eventually bled away to silence.

 

* * *

 

_ “Ugh, I’m going to have the headache from Hell tomorrow morning.” _ Diana was rubbing her now swollen face and stared at the sky with her one good eye. **_“YOU HAVE HAVE THE FEROCITY OF UNDYNE, MISS DIANA, BUT NOT THE COORDINATION OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS.”_ ** Diana merely stared at Papyrus who for once was not glaring at her quite as harshly. She guessed that was his way of complimenting her.  **_“I WOULD ENJOY SEEING YOU AND UNDYNE SPAR IN A FIGHT. SHE HAS ALWAYS WANTED TO TAKE ON A HUMAN, BUT MANY ARE VIEWED AS TOO FRAGILE. YOU ARE NOT.”_ ** Diana fished out her keys,  _ “Thanks, I guess? I think all the alcohol has gone to my head. As a emergency responder, I think I’m supposed to save lives, not fuck them up.”  _ She fumbled with the keys before groaning and handing them to Papyrus,  _ “find the one with the skull head and don’t judge me.”  _ Papyrus’ brow bone raised, but found the key and returned it to her. 

_ “Fuck, [Y/N], better be so damn grateful for this.”  _ She motioned for Papyrus to follow her up the stairs and then unlocked the door. They both walked in only to be in for the shock of their lives as they came upon the scene of you and sans sharing a passionate kiss.

 

_ “[Y/N]?!”  _ **_“SANS?!”_ **

 

[Y/N] and sans separated quickly and both were red as a tomato. Diana and Papyrus immediately started screeching and yelling while [Y/N] and sans tried desperately to calm them down. There wasn’t going to be an easy way to settle this….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another kinda short chapter. Things have been a bit hectic with work and life in general, but I really wanted another chapter up...and so we see that Diana is not one to be messed with. Quite the malicious EMT responder. XD


	7. Author's Note

Hello there!

I'm sure you're wondering, _"Man, it's been a long time since this updated...wait a minute, A NEW CHAPTER?! ........oh........ :("_

This little story was literally created from nothing and updated on the fly. As of right now, it's going on hiatus due to personal things in life I'm having to deal with and I've started work on another project that's been on my mind even before this ficlet came to be. Now, it's not the end and I'm surely not going to leave it open ended when there's so many more shenanigans we can see the rude skellybros get caught in with you and Diana! It's just going on the backburner for more ideas to boil up and we'll have it back as the main course in a bit.

Stay tuned and have a Happy Halloween!

**~K**


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update??? Yeah, it's an update. My writing's been all over the place, but a sudden inspiration to write a bit more this rambling fic got y'all another chapter. Enjoy because who knows when the next chapter will be due. lol

Several minutes later, the shrieking eventually lessened to a dull roar and finally to muttered grumblings. You and sans were forced to sit on opposite ends of the small couch and no physical contact was allowed. You glanced nervously over to him and he returned with the same expression. A growl had both of you facing forward as Diana and Papyrus sat on the coffee table, arms crossed and glaring down unamused. Diana had a nasty bruise on her face that was slowly healing with the few pieces of monster candy she retrieved after the screaming was all said and done. She looked like she had been in a nasty fight and possibly just a bit hung over. Papyrus was scowling, his face almost seemingly fixed to look permanently upset with furrowed brow bones, piercing red eyelights, and the way his mouth formed a frown with jagged sharp teeth to match his brother's. 

**_"I EXPECT A FULL EXPLANATION OF WHAT HAPPENED...BEFORE WE WALKED IN ON YOUR CANOODLING WITH THE...HUMAN, BROTHER."_ **

He said the word 'human' with such distaste,  _ "What's that supposed to mean?! Human?" _ Diana interrupted  you tersely, _ "ignore it, it's what he calls everyone. Well, he calls me Miss Diana, but that's besides the point."  _ She rubbed her temples as a wave of pain assaulted her, _ "ugh...never again will I go to that wretched bar....or drink any kind of liquor. I've had my fill and then some."  _ Sans was twiddling his fingers, trying to look at small as possible, or at least out of the present conversation. **_“SANS, EXPLAIN YOURSELF NOW. WHAT HAPPENED?”_ ** Sans jumped at his brother’s voice,  _ “Uh, yeah, Boss, I was just at work at the ‘dog stand when a group of humans jumped me for the tip jar.” _ He glanced over to you,  _ “when I said ta fuck off, one of ‘em took the jar, the rest pulled me ta the ground and started tap dancing on me.”  _ Papyrus was unamused,  **_“WHY WOULD THEY CHOSE THAT TIME TO DANCE ON YOU.”_ ** Sans facepalmed with his good hand,  _ “NO, BOSS, THEY WERE KICKIN’ THE SHIT OUT OF ME! I don’t know how long they were doing it, I passed out and woke up to these two patching me up.”  _

He pointed to Diana and then over to you. Papyrus looked at Diana and then over at you, obviously sensing the elephant in the room, _**“THIS IS THE HUMAN YOU WILL NOT SHUT UP ABOUT? THIS IS WHO TOLERATES YOUR LAZINESS? HOW PATHETIC.”** _ You snapped right then and there, _“HI, HELLO, I DON’T BELIEVE WE’VE MET. MY NAME IS [Y/N] IT IS VERY MUCH A DISPLEASURE TO MEET YOU. I AM NOT PATHETIC, HE IS NOT PATHETIC. DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT’S PATHETIC? A BROTHER WHO CONSTANTLY BERATES THE OTHER BROTHER WHEN THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY’RE GOING THROUGH OR EVEN THOUGHT TO ASK!”_ Sans had leaned over to try and calm you down, but you were on a roll and ready to fight, _“TELL ME SOMETHING, DID YOU ONCE ASK IF SANS WAS ALRIGHT BEFORE COMING HERE OR DID YOU JUST-MPNH!!!”_

A hand suddenly covered your mouth and you were yanked back onto the couch by sans. You struggled a bit in his grip, before glaring angrily at Papyrus and growling loud enough for all 3 to hear. Once again Papyrus was stupefied, Miss Diana was certainly a most interesting human he’d come across, but the spitfire that sat before him who had been quick to defend sans, not even caring she was nearly 3 times smaller than he was had him questioning his view on human women. _“S-sorry, Boss, she, uh, she’s one of those humans that likes ta speak their mind.”_ Papyrus smirked, _**“I CAN SEE THAT. PERHAPS SHE CAN TEACH YOU A THING OR TWO. NOW, IF THAT IS ALL, WE CAN BE ON OUR WAY.”** _ Diana stood up and several bones cracked making both Papyrus and sans stiffen up, _“About time you Boneheads left. [Y/N] you owe me double, triple, no quadruple at this point. We’ll discuss the terms once I’m sober. I’m out.”_ She staggered away to the hallway, tripping over nothing and falling into her room with a curse.

Sans sighed, you were going to get his bony ass in so much troub- He suddenly froze when he felt something wet against the palm of his hand. He dragged his hand away from your mouth where your tongue was sticking out and wiggling, _“thank you for letting me have my mouth back.”_ He gave an cheeky look and was about to retort when the lights suddenly went out. _“Shit! Not the power!”_ A loud groan from Diana’s room echoed across the darkened apartment as she staggered back out into the living room with a lantern. _“Fucking snow storm. Ruining everything, everyone better be fucking in their homes because if they think I’m going to be out saving anyone’s asses,they’re sorely mistaken.”_ Papyrus walked to the door, **_“SANS, WE’RE LEAVING. LET’S GO.”_** Diana was on him in an instant, _“Oh no you’re not! Did you listen to what I just said, Bonebarian?! No one is going ANYWHERE until this storm passes!”_ Papyrus then made two mistakes. One was continuing to argue with Diana, the other was when he put his hand on her shoulder, intending on pushing her out of the way. 

Twenty minutes later and yet another monster candy gone to mending a cracked bone, Papyrus sat in Diana’s chair, thoroughly pissed. Sans was now more afraid of Diana and sat close to you as you ate in silence. The power had not come on and a fire was made in the fireplace. She came with blankets in hand, throwing one at Papyrus’ face and handing you the other one. _"Lights out, children! I have had WAY too much fun tonight and judging by all the snow that is currently piling up, I’m sure my ass will be called out to the hospital sometime today, so with that, I’m turning in. I swear to God, if I am woken up, I will tear your bones limb from limb and construct my own marimba from them.”_ Diana left and everything was silent until the door shut and all 3 let out a huge sigh. _“W-well, I guess I’ll be off to bed, too”_ you quietly replied as you handed sans the blanket. _“Will you be alright on the couch?”_

Sans smirked as he opened the blanket as best as he could, _“It’s 5 stars compared ta the mattress I got at the house. It’s good, kitten.”_ His sockets got real wide as he sucked in air at using the nickname again AND in front of his brother. You smiled though, _“Sure, sure, just don’t expect turn down service, sugarskull. Papyrus, do you need anything?”_ He was still nursing his injured wrist, **_“NO, LEAVE US, HUMAN SO THAT WE MAY SLUMBER.”_** You got ready to say something nasty, but sans waved his hand, _“It’s not worth it, go on [Y/N]."_ You still glared at the taller skeleton, but bid sans a good night and went to your room and collapsed on your bed. 

*sigh* what a crazy day.

 

* * *

Noises roused you from your sleep as you leaned over and saw the red numbers on your alarm clock blink 4:43AM at your tired eyes. The sounds were coming from the living room and you groaned as you pulled your exhausted limbs from the warmth of the heating blanket and wrapped yourself in the top blanket to tiptoe down the hallway. You were careful to avoid the squeaky floorboards in front of Diana's room, if you woke her hung over self up, there'd be no place in Hell for you to hide from her wrath. Safely past the bedrooms, you crept into the living room where the noises turned out to be sans moaning and talking in his sleep. A flash of lightning almost had you screaming as it illuminated Papyrus sleeping sitting upright in Diana's armchair. Clamping a hand over your mouth to stifle the screams, you stood completely still and waited for your breathing to slow and your heartbeat to not act like it wanted to be on the outside of your chest.

Papyrus did not move, but continued to sleep, his face less of a grouchy frown and more of irritation as he had his arms crossed over his chest. God, who sleeps sitting upright let alone in that position?! Sans made another noise and shuffled on the couch, jostling his still tender wrapped arm. It looked like he was having a nightmare as his brow bones were furrowed in worry and...were those tears running down his skull? You carefully made your way over to the coffee table and pulled it close to the couch. He continued to cry and mumble incoherent phrases, you only being able to catch certain words like  _ "NO, Paps!",  _ and _ "Why, kid, why?!"  _ He was shivering and you pulled the blanket from around you to lay it on him, eventually silencing his rattling bones, leaving only his whimpers to remain.

You climbed down off the table to your knees and wrapped yourself as best as you could around his top half, stroking the top of his skull,  _ "shh...shh...shh, you're safe, sans. Papyrus is safe. Everything is alright, just calm down and listen to my voice."  _ You wiped his tears away with the blanket and continued to whisper to him,  _ "You're safe on my couch and Papyrus..."  _ You looked behind you to see that he was still asleep thankfully and then turned back to sans,  _ "Papyrus is watching over you, too."  _ You paused and thought for a moment,  _ "I'm sure Papyrus loves you, sans. He...he just has a difficult way of expressing it. I know the things he says hurt you, but you gotta stand up for yourself. Make him listen to you, sans. You are not worthless and if Papyrus can't see that, then that's his loss, not yours to bear." _

You continued to stroke his skull and grabbed his uninjured hand and squeezed it,  _ "I believe in you, sans. Whatever barriers are keeping you down, we'll break them...together."  _ You carefully put his hand on his chest and grabbed the blanket and pulled it up covering him. You placed a single kiss to the crown of his head and smiled when he relaxed and started to snore softly. There was a warm, red glow beneath the blanket and you whispered before making your way back to your room,  _ "G'night, sugarskull.... _ **_love you_ ** _ " _

As you carefully made your way back to the bedroom, Papyrus' eyes slowly opened and the frown gave way to a look of sadness as he stared at his sleeping brother. He could see the warmth and feel the love reaching out from sans' soul and for once, in a very long time, stood and made his way to his brother, stroking his skull before swooping down and gathering him and the blanket in his arms. His eyes went wide with shock at how light he felt and skeleton or not, he should be at least a little bit heavier than what he currently was. He looked around to see no one around and then bent his head down and nuzzled his skull, flashing back so many years before to a time under the mountain when he was a babybones and their roles were switched as sans held and comforted him as the darkness of their world closed in around them. Papyrus held sans closer as his own tears streaked down his face, the darkness not only closed in around them, it invaded them.

His soul had been so cold for so long. He loved his brother, HE DID, but why was it so hard for him to express it to him, his own brother? He wouldn't lie to himself, but after the fall of the barrier, he thought...he thought the weight would be lifted from his chest, that the cold, icy barrier around his heart would melt like the snow would eventually would. Instead, he still found himself temperamental as ever, maybe even more unhappy and irritated.  He hugged sans close and he snuggled closer, and Papyrus felt his soul swell at its icy barrier briefly at the brotherly contact, desperate to share in the warmth. Despite the cold air in the room, there was a foreign warmth starting to bubble inside him. Papyrus didn't know how long it had been since he allowed himself to feel this, but realized with wide eyes that his soul was starting to feel openly since the barrier fell.

It was such an odd feeling after having to be closed off for so long. He held sans tighter to him, worried that someone or something would appear to take him, take the warmth away. He stared down at his face and took notice of how peaceful he looked. There was very little suffering to be seen on his face, except for the scar, but even that looked better than what it usually looked like. Papyrus took a deep breath and then quietly crept down the hallway to your room and using his magic, opened the door and entered. You were asleep under the covers on one side of the bed and he gently deposited his brother onto the other side and pulled the covers over him. You suddenly moved and he froze, thinking he was caught, but you merely rolled over into sans and then immediately curled around him, holding him tight. Papyrus could see a smile appear on both of your faces as the glow returned under the shirt sans wore. He rubbed sans' skull once more and retreated, his soul now heavy in his chest with unfamiliar, distant feelings.

 

He really could go for a drink right about now. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus and sans' backstory is heavily influenced from my other fic, Safe and Sound, so if you'd want a bit more insight on how I view how the boys came to be, check that one out! :)

Diana rolled around restlessly in her bed, unable to find a comfortable spot. She was pretty sure she only got about 4 hours of sleep before her internal clock woke her up for her normal work hour. She tried in vain to get at least another half hour of sleep, but her body wasn't letting her relax. She had the stepmother of all headaches and at this point, got up to stumble towards the kitchen for some coffee to try and start the day off on some sort of good note. She opened her door and walked down the hallway, not caring about the creaking floorboards, [Y/N] could sleep through a hurricane let alone her stepping on the noisiest of floors. She walked into the kitchen on autopilot and started up her Keurig machine and grabbed her favorite creamer out of the fridge.

She stared at the machine blankly as it dispersed the life giving mixture and she quickly poured more than what was custom for creamer and took her first sip.  _"Ahhhhh....thank the stars for good quality coffee."_  She turned and nearly dropped her cup in fright when she saw Papyrus standing silently behind her,  _"JESUS, DO YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE NOISE?!",_ she whispered harshly. Papyrus didn't offer a reply, but instead put a coffee pod into the machine and waited for his own to pour out. Diana moved over to the sink and sipped her coffee quietly, somewhat put off by the loud skeleton turned suddenly mute. It was nearly 4 in the morning, so maybe he did have standards when others were asleep.

She watched with fascination as he brought the cup to his teeth, tilted it and let the liquid fall into his mouth. She looked up and down, waiting for the coffee to just come dropping out of the bottom of his uniform, but none came out.  ** _"STARING LIKE THAT WOULD GET YOU KILLED IN MY WORLD....OR POSSIBLY WORSE..."_**  When he suddenly broke the silence, it wasn't his normal loud tone of voice but a hushed whisper that was rough, full of authority, and sent a chill down her spine. She shivered as she met his hard gaze and smile before quickly taking another sip and exiting stage left for the living room. She didn't spot sans on the couch and turned to see Papyrus coming from the other side to sit on one side of the couch and looked to him for answers.  ** _"HE IS SLEEPING WITH [Y/N]. SHE CAME OUT TO COMFORT HIM DURING ONE OF HIS NIGHTMARE FITS. I...I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BEST TO PUT HIM NEXT TO HER, FOR HIS OWN HEALTH, I-I MEAN..."_**

Diana was surprised he would do something like that given that she had yet to see him be kind to anyone. _"That was awfully nice of you, Great and Terrible Papyrus.", she snickered._ He took a sip of his coffee and returned her jab with a glare. She quickly changed subject,  _"[Y/N] really likes sans. With how long she's been going to his rickety hot dog stand, I would say she was smitten from day 1. It seems that your brother likes her at least a little bit, too if the tongue jousting contest we walked in on was any indication."_ Both her and Papyrus made faces of disgust before disappearing behind their mugs once more. Diana smiled into her cup, _"I think I scared him, too. He and [Y/N] were arguing and throwing insults when we were patching him up. I stepped in and yelled to get everyone to calm down and he looked like I was going to hit him or something, not that I would ever do that, it's gotta be against my responder code or something...which I probably just broke tonight with the fight...ugh....."_

Papyrus curtly replied,  **_"SANS DOES NOT LIKE AUTHORITY. HIS AUTOMATIC RESPONSES ARE FEAR AND RETALIATION, THE LATTER WHICH HE DOES AS OFTEN AS HE CAN. -SIGH- IT WOULD JUST BE SO MUCH EASIER IF HE WOULD DO AS HE'S TOLD. INSTEAD, HE GOES TO HIS SUPPOSED "JOB" AND SLEEPS THE DAY AWAY AND COMPLAINS."_ **  Diana nodded,  _"Yeah, I heard about that, [Y/N] said he was actually making decent money, mostly from her, but the hot dogs were actually getting pretty good before the beat down and he gained a couple of college students as customers. I'd say he's doing pretty good despite dealing with the narcolepsy and probably some form of depression. That duo is something that's not easy to deal with."_ Papyrus rolled his eyes at the first part of her statement and was about to take a sip when he stopped and stared at her as she finished speaking,  **_"NARCOLEPSY? WHAT IS THAT?"_ ** Diana finished her coffee and set the cup aside before pointing at her head,  _"sans has narcolepsy, it's a disorder where a person, or monster in this case, is plagued by excessive sleepiness. The normal boundary between awake and asleep is blurred, so characteristics of sleeping can occur while a person is awake. From what [Y/N] has said, he's been dealing with this since in the Underground?"_

She shook her head sadly,  _"If what you said is true about what [Y/N] did tonight, he probably has the vivid nightmares and hallucinations depending on how severe his disorder is."_  Papyrus stared down at his cup as the coffee started to tremble in his grip **_,"Y-YOU MEAN IT'S NOT LAZINESS??"_ ** Diana shrugged,  _"sans is probably still lazy, but the sleeping disorder is completely medical wise. It could've been dormant for some time or maybe only came out after repeated traumatic incidents. At this time there's no cure for it, just medicine and treatments to help improve it. The same goes for his depression."_ Papyrus' hands continued to shake, sloshing hot coffee on his gloves, but he paid it no mind. Papyrus was frantically trying to piece back life in the Underground after this bombshell was made known to him. He thought his brother was simply lazy and apathetic, that this was just his way of rebelling against him, but no...his brother had been suffering this entire time... and he only made it worse by the abuse he inflicted over the years.

Diana stared at Papyrus as his hands shook and he lost his frown completely, tears forming in his sockets, obviously lost in thought. Carefully, she got up from her chair and removed the coffee mug from his hands before he had a chance to drop it. She placed it on the table and then sat next to him, saying nothing, too shocked that she was seeing an expression other than irritation spreading across his face. " **_I...I CAUSED THIS..."_ ** Diana brows furrowed in confusion, _"caused what?"_ Papyrus continued to stare at this gloved hands as they clenched into fists that he then ground into his sockets,  **_"HE ALWAYS SAID HE COULDN'T HELP THE SLEEPINESS, THAT HE TRIED HIS BEST TO COMPLETE HIS DUTIES. I DIDN'T BELIEVE HIM....I DIDN'T...THE NIGHTMARES HE RAMBLED ABOUT MADE NO SENSE, ALL THIS TALK OF A HUMAN CHILD DUSTING ME AND EVERYONE ELSE IN THE UNDERGROUND."_ **  Diana shook her head,  _"I'm sure you didn't-"_ Papyrus took a shuddering breath, _**"IT ALL SOUNDED INSANE, BUT THEN I STARTED NOTICING THE MARKS, INCLUDING THE ONE ACROSS HIS RIB CAGE. I THOUGHT HE WAS DOING IT TO HIMSELF, JUST LETTING HIMSELF GET CAUGHT AND BEAT. I COULDN'T HAVE HIM DUST HIMSELF ON PURPOSE, NOT AFTER ALL HE DID FOR ME."** _

Diana was certainly surprised to see this side of Papyrus, especially since she only met the large skeleton hours ago and he only showed her arrogance and fury. A complete 180 on top of a hangover was sending her mind spinning. Papyrus let his gloved hands fall, staring down  as red tears stained the material and fell to the floor,  **_"I NEVER HIT HIM, NOT ON PURPOSE THAT IS...THE CRACK ON HIS FACE CAME FROM HE WAS TRAINING ME AS A TEENAGER FOR THE ROYAL GUARD. I WANTED SO BADLY TO JOIN AND HE PUSHED ME, SUPPORTED ME, GUIDED ME! WE ONLY HAD EACH OTHER WHEN WE WERE YOUNG AND WHEN I WAS FINALLY ACCEPTED INTO THE GUARD, EVERYTHING CHANGED. IT WAS KILL OR BE KILLED IN THE UNDERGROUND AND BEING WEAK MADE YOU VULNERABLE. IF HE WASN'T GOING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIMSELF, THEN I WOULD DO IT FOR HIM. UNTIL HE LEARNED TO RESPECT HIMSELF, HE DIDN'T HAVE THE HONOR TO CALL ME BROTHER."_ **

Diana couldn't really wrap her head around that lifestyle, but for the sake of the conversation she tried to understand,  _"well, it certainly sounds like he loves you like a brother should. What stopped you from asking him what was wrong when he started to show abnormal signs?"_  Papyrus looked away for a moment,  **_"MY...MY PRIDE...MY STUBBORNNESS...MY STUPIDITY..."_ ** He grabbed at his scarf and unwrapped it from around his neck,  **_"MY BROTHER WAS THE LAUGHING STOCK OF THE UNDERGROUND, EVERY TIME HE WAS FOUND SLEEPING ON THE JOB OR GALAVANTING ABOUT DRINKING THAT WRETCHED MUSTARD AT GRILLBY'S FOR HOURS ON END, IT WOULD COME BACK ON ME. I WOULD BE PUNISHED. I ASKED MYSELF WHY WOULD SANS JUST START ACTING LIKE THAT AND JEOPARDIZE ALL THAT I.._ ** **_WE_ ** **_WORKED ON?!"_ **  He threw the scarf at the table,  **_"I DIDN'T ASK BECAUSE I WAS TOO WORRIED ABOUT MY POSITION OF POWER. IT WAS FAR EASIER TO PUNISH VERSUS GAIN ANSWERS."_ **  Diana grabbed the war torn scarf and felt the coarse wool with her fingers,  _"Well that was a shitty way to handle that. If you were as close as you say you were, you should've been able to talk it out. But then again, if I were yelled at every time I came into contact with a family member, I'd be hard pressed to tell you what was on my mind for fear of more yelling, or worse."_

Papyrus cursed, a very rare thing for him to do and fell back against the couch to stare at the ceiling,  **_"THIS FEELING IS UNFAMILIAR TO ME. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PROCESS IT....IT HURTS..."_ ** Diana laid back with him and patted him on the chest plate,  _"that'd be guilt, Papyrus. It's not supposed to be a good feeling, but you can make it go away."_ He turned his head to stare at her,  **_"I don't know how."_ ** He was very quiet, all the authority and arrogance gone from his tone. Diana shrugged,  _"Well, you can start by apologizing to sans. An ACTUAL apology. No blaming, no attitude, no_ _yelling_ _. You need to be ready if he doesn't accept the apology right off the back. In my opinion, he shouldn't. Whatever he went through while you all were trapped under the mountain is something that can't be fixed overnight. But, if you truly want to make amends and get your brother back, you have some sacrifices to make."_ He furrowed his brow bones and looked away before Diana firmly grabbed his jaw and forced him back to look at her,  _"are you willing to make those sacrifices for family?"_

His eye lights stared into Diana's and he said nothing before he collapsed against her in a flurry of tears and garbled whispers, _"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt him, I...I'm sorry..."_  Surprised at first, she froze as he wrapped himself around her. Eventually, she managed to untangle her arms and returned the embrace, letting him cry for as long as he needed to. She rubbed the back of his skull and as awkward as it was, this wasn’t the worst thing ever. When Diana hoped to befriend a monster, she surely did not picture meeting the biggest asshole in the monster kingdom who turned into a sobfest having confession sessions on the couch at 4 in the morning, but she wasn’t going to complain. His sobs eventually calmed and she patted him on the back while continuing to stroke his skull, “Feel better?” He released her and sat back against the couch again, his sockets still brimming with tears. He wiped them away, his cheekbones suddenly gaining a deep red color,  **_“I-I AM SORRY, MISS DIANA. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT CAME OVER ME. TEARS ARE USUALLY MEANT FOR THE WEAK AND-”_ **  She grabbed his scarf and wrapped it around his head, making sure he was forced to look into her eyes and was listening,  _“Weakness is bottling everything up and choosing not to deal with it. Tears are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. If you couldn’t cry, you wouldn’t have a soul to heal.”_

She let go of his scarf and his forehead dipped down to meet hers. They stayed like that for a few minutes, before Diana was forced to yawn, sleep finally catching up to her.  **_“SLEEP, MISS DIANA, I FEEL WE’LL HAVE MORE TO DISCUSS ONCE WE ARE BOTH RESTED.”_ **  She wasn’t going to argue with him on that, and grabbed the blanket off her chair and leaned back on the couch. Papyrus tried to rise, but she grabbed the scarf still looped around his neck and pulled him back into the couch,  _“Nuh huh, sit your bony ass down. I sat through your cry fest, now you owe me a snuggle.”_  Papyrus started to grumble and rolled his eyes, but did not fight the blanket being thrown over them. She pulled a pillow up to balance on the back of the couch and his shoulder and was out like a light the minute her head hit it. Papyrus did not immediately follow suit, but stared at Diana as she fell into a deep sleep, her soft snores rumbling against him. Very much like [Y/N], she moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around him and strangely, he enjoyed the closeness. As he made himself comfortable with his own pillow, he laid his head near hers, closed his eyes, and went to sleep. A warm glow began to pulse beneath his battle body and he smiled as his snores joined hers.

* * *

[Y/N] and sans would later wake and walk out to the biggest shock of their lives to see Papyrus and Diana curled up with one another on the couch, sleeping peacefully.

 

Pictures were secretly taken for future blackmail purposes.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, everyone gets snuggles!
> 
> Imma be honest, I actually really enjoy writing Diana and Papyrus' interactions....even if I can't really nail Fell!Papyrus' personality down. I've unfortunately got my headcanon set that all Papyruses start off sweethearts, but the setting and interactions around them shape them into who they become.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You and sans get a little freak(ed out). More emotions, more bonding? You don't listen to sans very well.

sans was first to slowly wake, his tired eyes blinked several times as he gained awareness of his surroundings. He looked around to see he was in a small bedroom, posters of musical artists lined every inch of the walls and what wasn't covered was blocked by bookcases filled with TONS of books. He...wasn't on the couch in the living room?  Something tightened around his midsection and he peered down, sockets growing wide as he lifted the blanket, to see you snuggled against him, still deep in sleep. He had been sleeping in YOUR bed with YOU wrapped around him! How in the Hell did he get himself here!? He tried to pry himself away but only resulted in you hugging tighter, rubbing your face against his shirt covered stomach. You know, you were actually pretty cute when- wait, no! If you woke and saw him in your bed, you'd freak! He tried moving again and you protested in your sleep, making disapproving noises, so he stilled his movement. He was stuck like chuck.

Eventually he pulled himself up against the backboard and made himself comfortable. The movement he caused only made you more determined to curl around him and keep him there as a hand snaked under his spine and hooked down around his shorts, dangerously close to his hip bone. The other was hugging his stomach while your head rested up near his ribcage. Yep, not going anywhere at all. As he sat there pondering what to do next, he realized sleeping on an actual bed for once was pretty nice. The couple of hours added to the nearly half a day's worth he got yesterday had him feeling pretty awake and in good health, despite the beating he received yesterday. Monster candy was a miracle worker. He looked around the room and noticed it was a lot like his: a complete mess. There were clothes everywhere, various walking sticks lying haphazardly in front of the dresser, and the BOOKS. 

Despite your poor eyesight, every flat surface held a book of some sort. He squinted at a darkened corner and realized she had a record player set up with dozens of records sitting in a box beneath it. It was a nice, homey little room, almost too nice for him. He thought of his own room, just a lumpy mattress pushed into one corner, various socks and shorts scattered across the floor with the trash tornado picking up anything that got in its path with little else. He liked the black out curtains on your window, maybe he could get some for himself...if he ever got the hot dog stand back up and running. Your soft snores rumbled against his ribcage and tickled them. He grunted as his previously injured arm fell out of his sling and moved around, getting rid of some of the stiffness. There was a faint crack on the bone, but it wasn't anything he wasn't used to. He let the hand rest on your hair and marveled at its softness. He ran his fingers through it and enjoyed the feeling...until strands started to get stuck in the joints of his fingers, _"Shit, no, c'mon.."_ He tried to untangle the strands with his other hand and in the middle of it all he heard a small chuckle and an amused whisper follow, _"Your definition of consent is real questionable, sans."_

sans' hands were definitely caught in the proverbial cookie jar and he sheepishly replied,  _ "uh..little help?"  _ You dragged your hands out from under him and across his stomach and he sucked in a huge breath,  _ "shit, sorry! sorry! Forgot it's sensitive!"  _ You maneuvered awkwardly to your knees and hunched over, cheeks slightly burning as your gaze was centered directly on his shorts. The both of you slowly untangled your hair until his fingers were free with only a few strands of hair yanked from your scalp. You flipped your head up and scratched your sore scalp before fumbling on the nightstand for your glasses and switching on the small table lamp, " _ Well good morning to you, sugarskull. Didn't expect to find you lying beside me, but I have to say you are one hell of a bed warmer."  _ He rubbed the back of his skull and looked away,  _ "Ya..ya not mad 'cuz I'm here?"  _ You smiled and shook your head, "Y _ ou ever think of becoming a part time snuggler for some extra cash?"  _ His face went tomato red and you laughed, knowing you could tell when you'd embarrassed him. He suddenly turned the tables and pinned you under him, a large grin spreading across his face.  _ "My snuggle card's already full, but maybe I can squeeze ya in."  _

He bent down and gave you a kiss, which you returned with eagerness. You giggled after pausing to take a breath,  _ "What made you come join? I know I probably squeezed the life from you last night at least once or twice. I'm kind of koala when it comes to sleeping and like to hug on things.I would've been fine with you snuggling from the beginning."  _ Sans sat up, brows furrowing as he tried to think,  _ "I, uh, I didn't get here on my own." _ You sat up on your elbows and thought for a moment, _ "Papyrus?" _ sans shook his head,  _ "Nah, Boss can't stand ta be around me, let alone pick me up and move me. I'm dead weight after all."  _ You rolled your eyes at the pun, " _ Well it wasn't Diana, once she's asleep, she's gone till her alarm goes off and even with the nightmares, you don't seem to be a sleepwalker. You were pretty quiet last night, I don't remember waking up to anything."  _ He thought about it, but switched gears when she mentioned how quiet it was. Holy. Shit. He'd gone through an entire night without his night terrors. You must have noticed his look of shock when you tapped his cheek,  _ "Hey, you alright in there?" _ He grabbed your hands and squeezed them excitedly, _ "I slept through the entire night! No terrors!"  _ He pulled you into a hug and small red tears of happiness fell down his face,  _ "the first night in stars', I don't know how many months. _ _ "  _ The warm feeling appeared again as you kissed him again and wiped away his tears. You stared down to see the highlight of his rib cage shining through the shirt and curiously asked,  _ "what is that by the way? Is that what was keeping me warm?"  _

sans looked down, equally astonished,  _ "uh, it's uh...it's been awhile since I last saw it, let alone it show up like this, but that'd be my soul."  _ You gasped with mock shock,  _ "you? you have a soul? Preposterous!"  _ sans pushed you away, but you came back to your knees, pleading like a child, " _ can I see it? I mean, I think I saw it when you were passed out on the couch, but can I see it now that you're feeling better, pretty please?!"  _ The look you gave made him gag in the back of his head, but before he could say anything, you interrupted again,  _ "Damn, I was being forward again, sorry! Ok, well, can I see what my soul looks like?"  _ You had heard that human souls were originally needed to break the barrier for the monsters to escape and that they all had different colors and traits. Ooh boy, you were walking on thin ice with the souls talk. They were more precious than all the G in the Underground and made you VERY vulnerable if one were to have it out in the open. 

But, sans couldn't help but feel safer here in this tiny bedroom, a feeling he'd felt very little of even after the barrier fell. You had moved to sit criss cross on the bed and waited patiently for him to answer,  _ "You don't have to if you don't want to, sans. I know souls are a touchy subject, so if.."  _ You always had to apologize, had to reassure that you weren't trying to pressure,  _ "JUST...just give me a fuckin' moment, alright?!"  _ He hadn't meant to shout and clamped a hand over his mouth as he stared at you in shock. It was just instinct for him to lash out when he was put on the spot, but you didn't flinch, didn't yell back, didn't even look upset. The lack of a reaction on your part had his head spinning and his soul beating heavily in panic. He started to shake and sweat as his mind blanked on how to get control of this situation, but all you did was take his hands and squeeze reassuringly,  _ "You're safe, sans. You don't have to do anything you don't want to and will not be punished for it. Just breathe, ok?" _

Breathing, right. That was apparently a thing and he let out a huge breath followed by a whisper,  _ "why ya gotta be so friggin' nice ta me?" _ You didn't reply, you just rubbed his knuckles and allowed him to calm back down. He let go of your hands and quietly said, " _ D-don't move. I ain't done this in forever and I-I don't want to hurt ya."  _ A sudden realization washed over you in that he COULD hurt you. He was CAPABLE of hurting you being a monster and all, but you smothered those thoughts away and sat complacent for him. His face was a mask of concentration as he put one hand in front of your chest. There was a pulling feeling, but you didn't fight it. The soft, airy pulling continued until a bright [your soul color] soul was out hovering in his hand. Your eyes went wide at how bright it was and it pulsed strongly in sans' hand.  _ "wow, kitten...that's the brightest soul I've seen in awhile."  _ The color brightened further and he brought it up to see the faint cracks,  _ "I know ya can't see 'em, but the tiny cracks ya got on your soul are healing really well. Whatever traumatic events you went through, you've been doing a good job to heal yourself over time."  _ You smiled, " _ it helps having good friends...and monster candy... to keep the happiness."  _ His smile fell a little and he looked away. You pulled him back and held him,  _ "Are we friends?"  _

He let out a large cackle, jostling your soul in his hand. All of a sudden it felt like you were in your own little earthquake, your body vibrating in spades, but warmth came with it and while he was laughing, something came out from his shirt covered ribcage. He stopped mid laughter and peered down in shock as his own soul had emerged and was hovering in front of yours. It was a small, white soul that had a spiderweb of cracks radiating from the center **.** It wasn’t as bright as yours and pulsed unevenly as you reached up and held it in both hands.  _ "B-be gentle with it!" _ sans whimpered nervously. You could just barely make out the upside down heart and as you brought it closer to your face, it pulsed faster, matching his nervousness. You let one hand fall to grab one of his and made sure to keep eye contact with him, _ “I’m just holding it, sans. I’m not going to hurt you.”  _

He was still clearly nervous as you sat back down on your knees and marveled the small soul. You could feel some emotions emanating from it, fear...sadness...but there was a bit of joy that you honed in on. It was small, but you could see it was steadily growing. You wondered if he could feel any of your emotions as he held your soul. Something compelled you to softly drag your thumb across the spot where the joy was coming from and the texture was like feeling static on a balloon. Sans shuddered and let out a long moan before clamping his hand over his mouth. Oh you liked hearing that sound. The joy blossomed into ecstasy for a short moment and then sans was left panting hard as he harshly whispered,  _ “Fuckin’ hell, k-kitten! Don’t do that!” _ The joy was retreating as flashes of annoyance popped up. Your brows furrowed, it was obvious he enjoyed that and you wanted to make him happy! You stared at him and smirked dragging your thumb over the surface again. The joy and ecstasy was instantaneous and the little heart seemed to glow brighter, pulse a bit firmer. Sans clamped his hand over his mouth to muffle his cries and then glared at you,  _ “You wanna play, kitten? Cuz I play dirty.”  _

You don’t know what he meant by that, but the smile that dripped across his face was devious. His sharp teeth parted and out dropped the sinuous tongue from before. He wouldn’t dare. He brought your soul closer to his mouth and before you make a move for it, he dragged his tongue across the surface. The starburst of euphoria you felt was incredible and you let out a high whimper before sans covered your mouth with his hand. It took a moment for you to come down from your high, your body shuddering every few seconds. You were warm, so very warm and your soul pulsed strongly in his hand. It was a very pleasant...release. Sans chuckled and made sure you were paying attention,  _ “Just lookit at ya, pleased  _ _ as a  _ _ kitten on cream, ya are. Now, I think we’ve both had our kicks for one morning. Now give me back my soul.” _ He held your soul out and it hovered above his hands and then gradually back to you, it floated past sans’ soul and for a moment was drawn to it.

Sans suddenly lurched forward,  _ “DON’T LET IT TOUCH-” _ It barely grazed your soul and both of you cried out. Memories filled your head and you couldn’t distinguish one from the other as they bled together. Emotions assaulted you from every angle, so much sadness, anger, and then...that little bit of joy… It was suddenly swaddled in a wave of trust and serenity and as your soul moved away, you felt as if that small seed of joy had just begun to sprout. In the commotion, you had let sans’ soul go and it hovered back to him and then behind his shirt and into his rib cage it disappeared. Yours returned and as it sunk back in, you shared in that warmth you felt the night before. Both of you were panting and shivering, barely able to stay sitting up. Instead, you fell first onto your side and spasmed as the shivers ebbed away. Sans groaned and rubbed his eye sockets,  _ “I need some fuckin’ coffee after all this.” _

You said very little to him as you recovered from...whatever that was. Sans seemed on edge and the both of you agreed that after a decent cup of coffee, an explanation could come about. He got out of the bed and waited by the door as you pulled some slippers on. You put your finger to your mouth to advise him to be quiet and he shrugged as he opened the door and walked out. He stayed to the side to avoid the noisy floorboards and you followed suit. He suddenly came to a halt at the entrance of the hall and you walked into him, _ “Hey, what gives?!”  _ You peered around him and were dumbfounded. Diana and Papyrus were asleep on the couch...TOGETHER?!  _ “Oh you’ve got ta be fuckin’ KIDDING ME!” _ sans said. You said nothing but crept back to your room as quickly as possible, _ “‘Ey! Where ya going?!”  _ You returned a moment later, phone in hand and a smirk on your face. You pulled the camera app up and flashed it at sans. He returned the smirk, _ “Ya better send me those, kitten.” _

You lined up the shot and took a few pictures, snickering softly,  _ “that’s a poor excuse to ask for my phone number. Do you think you can handle these digits?” _ You both entered the kitchen where sans cornered you by the refrigerator,  _ “do you think you can handle  _ **_these_ ** _ digits?” _ He held his hands up in front of your face and wiggled them.

Your only remark? _ “Toe-tally” _

 

Sans’ laughter ended up waking the sleeping beasts in the living room and there was hell to pay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright folks! The holidays are this next week so I'll be pretty much out all week! I'm very humbled by al the kudos and comments I've gotten on this little fic. I hope what little updates I've been able to give have been entertaining and here's to seeing the reader, Diana, sans and Papyrus after Thanksgiving! :)


	11. An Ivory Christmas - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to December, dear readers!
> 
> This is a short holiday interlude featuring the Boneheads with you and Diana! It's set a bit farther in the future from where we currently are in the main story, but I couldn't help but try and give the Fell bros the chance to experience a sweet Christmas. This will probably be 2-3 chapters long and the last part will be on or near Christmas Eve(depending on how busy/crazy it is) Enjoy! :)

The holidays had arrived in full swing and everyone in your little city was hustling about decorating anything and everything they could get their hands on. Because the city was so diverse, almost every street was decorated in their own, unique way depending on the culture they celebrated. You and Diana were one of the last residents in your apartment building to get the decorations up and were hurrying to one of the last known tree lots to buy one for the living room. There was hardly a full tree left, but after trekking some couple miles to the back end, one single tree stood out. Of course, it stood out as it was nearly as tall as Diana, but it was completely full and after some lights, tinsel, and ornaments, it would look like a Christmas tree from the storybooks. Cutting it down and getting it back to the hayride to take it to the front and then tying it down in the back of the truck was easy as Diana got some help from the workers with her “persuasive powers”. Figuring out how to then get it up three flights of stairs, down the hall and into the house was going to be the difficult part.

_"*huff* How *huff* in the *huff* world *huff*_ _are we *huff* gonna get this *huff* tree up to the room!?"_ You were sprawled out in the backseat from just dragging the tree from the back of the truck to let it rest up against it. Diana was hovering on the side of the truck, heavily breathing as well, _"*huff* God, I'm supp-*huff*osed to be able *huff* to lift 200 pounds *huff* with ease! Ugh....I need to work out more."_ You sat up, finally catching your breath and thought for a moment before digging around in your purse. Holding up your phone, you waved it around, _"We could always call the Boneheads and-"_ Diana interrupted, _"I_ ** _THOUGHT_** _we were trying to see less of them!"_ You smiled and raised an eyebrow in playful confusion, _"_ ** _WE?_** _You're the one who keeps running into Papyrus...or is he running into you? Have you maybe tried not outright avoiding him and just give him a chance?"_ Diana raised her head and glared _, "You say that only because things are going so well with your little cherry sour."_ Brows furrowing, you threw a pile of pine needles in her general direction, _"Hey, that's my nickname for him, not yours! And for your information, things aren't always so pretty and perfect. He can still be an ass sometimes."_

Over the past few months and certainly after the Incident*, sans and you had grown closer and formed a relationship. The second you said yes to his awkward proposition to go out on another date after the one at Grillby's went sour, he was more nervous than ever, often pushing himself into mild panic attacks when a date wasn't going the way he thought it should. Then there was the whole personal space thing that needed to be talked about. When sans was with you, you were both inseparable. It sounds romantic, but after 4 hours of sans following you around like a duckling and the constant grabbing and holding you close, growling at any passersby and heaven forbid letting you go to your own bathroom alone, it felt like he was slowly suffocating you. Sitting him down and explaining what he was doing and how it was making you feel was difficult as any small notion that he was doing something wrong would either send him into an irritated tizzy or start up another anxiety driven meltdown. You chose to be straightforward with him, but heavily reassured that he was a fantastic boyfriend and that you enjoyed the time spent with him. However, you informed him that couples also need time apart to continue to function normally. He started to protest, thinking you were breaking up with him, but a kiss to his mouth cut off his anxious drabble instantly.

_ "Sans, you're the biggest bonehead I know and I love you very much so no, this is not a break up in the slightest definition. What I am trying to tell you is I just need a little space. I know with my lessened sight, you're just looking out for me, but I'm a big girl! I've navigated my life with the bumps and bruises and turned out alright. This...constant coddling though...I know for a fact you mean well, but it's starting to feel like how it was with..."  _ Sans silenced her with a look,  _ "I don't want to hear talk of him. It makes my marrow boil over."  _ The air was beginning to grow tight as magic manifested and hummed through the room, but you managed to placate him by grabbing his face and making him see eye to eye with you,  _ "I know, sans, I don't like to talk about him either, and I certainly do not compare you and him at all. He's..."  _ You paused and looked away, you couldn't finish your sentence, you wanted to say he was the worst, most evilest monster you knew, but that would be terribly insulting to sans and every other monster. He seemed to understand and took your hands in his,  _ "I just wanna make sure you're alright.. I don't want ta see you hurt again. You're the most important thing in my shitty life."  _ There were tiny beads of red tears in the corners of his sockets and you brushed them away before they could fall and pulled him into a tight hug,  _ "No tears, sans, I'm not going anywhere, just...let me have some space once in awhile. I promise, any other time, I'll assure plenty that I'm yours and only yours.. Can't afford a heating blanket in this time of season anyway."  _ He groaned, but you laughed and pulled him into a kiss which he returned with fervor.

_ "Hey, HEY! [Y/N], stop fantasizing about the numbskull and let's figure out how we're going to get this in the house!"  _ You were shaken from your memory by Diana who was now mere inches from your face. It seemed like she had been trying to get your attention for some time now. _ "Alright, alright! Quit your whining, let me call them up."  _ Diana grumbled and got her things out of the truck and played on her own phone. You sent a quick text to sans.

 

**You:** _Hey, you there cherry boy?_

 

**Him:** _ 'Sup? _

 

**You:** _Need a small favor from you...and your brother._

 

**Him:** _Hmm.... A favor, from both of us? That's gonna cost ya._

 

You rolled your eyes after he sent a cheeky emoticon. 

 

**You:** _Two fresh bottles of that fancy mustard you like and the night's yours. I'll even get Diana to stay in if Papyrus will come help._

Not even a second passed before a sharp ting followed by the angered screams of Papyrus meant the request was accepted. Arms curved around your torso as sans’ skull nuzzled into your neck.  _ "Ya gonna regret giving away so much power",  _ he whispered, sending a chill up your spine, but before he could move any farther, you gently pushed him away,  _ "Tree first, please."  _ sans looked at the tree and then back to you,  _ "The fuck’s this for?" _ At this point, Diana was more than ready to head up _ , "Can it, cherry skull, are you both going to help or not?”  _ There was a moment of silence before she grumbled, “ _ *sigh* Hello, Papyrus." _ Papyrus had yet to say anything and was staring at Diana from the other side of the truck, arms crossed, seeming to be amused by something. He was grinning, a very rare sight alone, but he happened to be grinning AT Diana.  **_"MISS DIANA, YOUR FREQUENT ATTEMPTS TO AVOID THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS WILL END HERE AND NOW."_ ** Diana dropped her head, breathed in deep and let it out in a big breath.  _ "I WORK, Papyrus. I SAVE LIVES for a living, so don't you dare get an attitude with me when I can't just drop everything I'm doing for a spontaneous dinner! Now, if you really want to court someone like a gentle..monster, you will pick a date in the near future!"  _ You quickly chimed in, " _ like tomorrow when you're free?"  _ Diana, without realizing, agreed,  _ "Yeah! Like tomorrow when I'm not working!"  _ sans looked at you with an amused smile as Diana continued on,  _ "It needs to be a delicious meal, too!"  _ sans quickly interrupted,  _ "like my bro's lasagna?"  _ Diana nodded, completely oblivious to the trap she was falling into,  _ "Italian food is the best date food!"  _ Papyrus' eyes glimmered in satisfaction and after a moment or two of silence, her eyes went wide when she realized what she had done,  _ "Why you little!"  _ Diana started to race around the truck to come for you when Papyrus came around and snagged her by the back of her shirt,  **_"IT'S SETTLED, MISS DIANA. I WILL COME RETRIEVE YOU PROMPTLY AT 7PM. DO NOT BE LATE AND WEAR SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE...APPROPRIATE. THE TERRIBLE PAPYRUS WILL SETTLE FOR NOTHING BUT THE GREATEST."_ **

Diana attempted to make a noise of protest, but it died on her lips when both you and sans glared back at her,  _ "UGH! FINE, 7PM."  _ Papyrus let her go and she turned on her heel and poked his battle armor,  _ " _ **_THIS_ ** _ better change as well. Find yourself a suit and we'll call it a date."  _ She held her hand out and Papyrus frowned and pondered a moment before grasping her hand firmly and shaking it,  **_"DEAL, MISS DIANA. NOW, HUMAN, TELL US WHY MY BROTHER DRAGGED ME OUT HERE ON THIS WINTRY AFTERNOON. MY TIME COULD BE BETTER SPENT ELSEWHERE."_ ** You pointed towards the truck,  _ "help us get the tree up into the living room?"  _ Papyrus looked flabbergasted as he stared at the tree and sans began to laugh,  _ "ya...ya called us out here ta bring a tree into your house?! A fuckin’ TREE?!"  _ He continued to laugh and you stomped your foot in irritation,  _ "yes, a TREE! I know we're only a week till Christmas, but give us an A for effort at least!"  _ Papyrus looked less than enthused,  **_"HUMAN, I HAVE MORE PRESSING MATTERS TO DEAL WITH THAN TO DRAG FOLIAGE INTO YOUR LIVING QUARTERS."_ ** Diana shot back,  _ "What, another crossword puzzle from last week's paper thwarting you again?"  _ Papyrus' face turned red and he turned with fury in his eyes, **_"NO! I WILL, ER, DO NOT ALLOW THE WEEKLY CROSSWORD JUMBLE TO BEST ME. I WILL DEFEAT IT! *growl* IF YOU HAD NOT BESTED UNDYNE AND SHOWN YOUR TRUE POTENTIAL, THIS WOULD BE ENDING VERY DIFFERENTLY."_ ** Diana didn't back down and drew closer,  _ "How would it end, Mr. Bonebarian? I'm absolutely trembling in my boots right now."  _ You could tell something was up when Papyrus' eyes flashed brighter and a jagged smile crept across his face. You then knew for sure what was going to happen when he abruptly grabbed Diana to thrust her against the truck and capture her mouth in a bruising kiss.

Diana screamed in outrage into his mouth, but didn't let up on the kiss. If anything, she kissed harder, held him tighter. Satisfied, Papyrus released her and was promptly slapped by Diana...before she dragged him back into another kiss. You threw your hands up in the air,  _ "alright, ALRIGHT, enough fo your weird love-hate kissfest! I'm cold and just want to get the tree up the stairs already!"  _ sans wrapped around you again, whispering into your ear low enough that only you could hear,  _ "I got somethin' that'll warm ya and it's a lot easier ta get up than the tree,"  _ You felt something prod against you and struggled to get away,  _ "NOT IN PUBLIC, SANS!" _ He chuckled as he pulled away and an empty mustard bottle was produced from his pocket,  _ "what ya yellin' about? it's just some mustard."  _ You growled and pointed to the tree forcefully,  _ "TREE. NOW."  _ sans threw the bottle into the neighboring trash can,  _ "FINE, man you're a pain on my nonexistent eardrums, ya know that?!"  _ He looked at the tree for a moment and then his eye lights flashed, glowing a brighter red and the tree was suddenly suspended in the air with his magic. _ "Hurry up now, I ain't gettin' in trouble over a fuckin’ tree."  _ You nodded and quickly opened the door to let everyone in and then went up the stairs as quick as you could to open the front door to your apartment. The tree hovered up the stairs as sans stomped up behind it. Papyrus and Diana followed suit, bickering here and there about something. Finally they were all accounted for in the living room and you came from the hall closet with the tree base. 

_ "Put it in here, sans. Papyrus, can you come hold it up while I lock it in place? Diana, go get a pitcher of water!"  _ sans gently let the tree fall into the base and Papyrus was there roughly grabbing onto the tree,  _ "Hey, hey, easy there! You're going to break some branches!"  _ He scowled, but loosened his grip and you went to work, screwing the pegs to the sides of the tree, securely locking it in. After crawling out and pulling pine needles from your hair, you stepped to the side and let Diana pour the water in. sans was sitting on the couch and you went into the pantry and pulled a jar of the fancy mustard you knew he craved, but you stopped and pondered for a moment. Why not make him work a little bit more for it, at least for yours and Diana's amusement. You went into the living room and held up the jar, _ "say it and I'll give it to you."  _ He was confused for a moment, but when he realized what was up he frowned,  _ "aw, kitten, don't make me say it in front of Bro."  _ You smiled and shook the bottle in his face,  _ "say it and I'll go get the other jar and you can have both right now."  _ His eyes widened and then his eye lights flashed in anger, how dare you use his weakness against him! He grumbled, but quickly murmured hopefully where only you and Diana heard,  _ "-sigh- Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?"  _ He dropped the rough, heavily reminiscent of the Bronx, accent and said the phrase with a very posh, light voice. 

It was hysterical and you began to laugh loudly along with Diana who had been covering her mouth to hide the snickers. A heavy red blush spread across his face and he made an attempt to swipe the mustard bottle from you, to which you held it higher and made him growl before you decided to grant mercy and threw it to him. He caught it with ease and grumbled, but the minute he opened the small jar, a small spread across his face that almost looked innocent. Papyrus had seen well enough and started to make his way to the door,  **_"WELL, IF WE'RE DONE HERE, WE'LL BE ON OUR WAY. I...WE...HAVE PREPARATIONS TO MAKE."_ ** You quickly blocked the exit _ , "but wait, we still need to decorate! Don't...don't you want to help?"  _ You looked over to sans and he was already drinking the mustard down, much to the disgust of Papyrus and Diana, but paused as mustard dripped down his chin, _ "whaddya doin' all this fer anyway?"  _ Nearly tripping on the rug coming back from the side closet, you carried a large box that was overflowing with holiday decorations,  _ "It's nearly Christmas, you big dummy! We have to decorate, start the food prep for Christmas day, and oh god, I still need to buy presents!"  _

sans went suddenly still as Papyrus replied,  **_"WHAT IS THIS CHRISTMAS YOU SPEAK OF?"_ ** You dropped the box in surprise, _ "What do you mean, 'what is Christmas'? You...you didn't have a holiday where you got with family and gave gifts to...one...another..."  _ Your voice trailed off as you really thought about their old home and what sans had told you. It was a horrible, unfriendly place where the last thing you would be doing is exchanging gifts and anything like that could be a trap of some sort. Papyrus was now glaring at you and very unamused, **_"WHY WOULD WE DO SOMETHING AS IDIOTIC AS THAT?! WE HAD NO TIME FOR SILLY FESTIVITIES, HUMAN! WE WERE BUSY PREPARING FOR WAR AND FIGHTING AMONGST OURSELVES FOR OUR LIVES. THIS 'CHRISTMAS' YOU SPEAK UP WOULD HAVE BEEN A DEATH SENTENCE TO ANYONE THAT PRACTICED IT."_ ** sans glanced to you and then over at Papyrus with a sad look, but didn't say anything,  _ "I, um, sorry. I didn't think about your previous home and the lives you lead. Just...just forget I said anything. Thank you for helping bring the tree up." _ Papyrus briskly walked past you, the feeling of coldness was stronger in his wake and he paused as he opened the door,  **_"I WILL BE HERE PROMPTLY AT 7 TOMORROW, MISS DIANA. AS I SAID BEFORE, DO NOT BE LATE."_ ** He left without another word and Diana walked into the center of the living room completely puzzled,  _ "ok, what just happened? Why'd he go all serious like that?"  _ You turned to sans and he had set the half drank mustard bottle down on the table and was staring at his untied sneakers, _ "P-Papyrus, he hasn't...he doesn't remember Gyftmas. Gyftmas was somethin' we did very early on when he was just a babybones, before all the fightin' and 'kill or be killed' took place. Heh, I figured he wouldn't remember, just didn't think it would bother me like this."  _

You sat down next to him and put an arm around to draw him close,  _ "well, why not reintroduce it to him? I know you all are still getting used to the whole 'DON'T kill each other' lifestyle, but maybe this can help ease him into a more...pacifist demeanor?"  _ sans laughed,  _ "Ya wouldn't believe me if I told ya, but there was a time when Paps was what ya call a real sweetheart."  _ Diana scoffed,  _ "I call bull shit!"  _ sans shrugged,  _ "there was a time when it was alright in the Underground. It's wasn't paradise, but we got along ok. Paps was maybe 7 or 8, I can't even remember now, but it was the last Gyftmas before everything changed."  _ Sans sniffed as he held back tears that were forming,  _ "I was pretty good with my hands, ya know, with makin' things. Paps don't know it, or if he did he doesn't remember, but that scarf he's got...I...I made that."  _ The both of you must've had a pretty serious surprised look on your faces when he shot back,  _ "don't look at me like that! I may be a lazy asshole, but we still got hobbies!"  _ You gave him a hug,  _ "sorry, you just don't look like a knitter...like, at all. But, if Papyrus still has the scarf as ratty looking as it is, then it must have some sort of sentimental value to him."  _ Diana was actually nice enough to retrieve a box of tissues for him and he took one to wipe away the quickly forming tears,  _ "after that year, the King suddenly decided it was time ta take revenge and started up this whole 'kill the humans, collect the souls, and escape our prison' plot ta wage war yet again on the humans. A lot went downhill after that. If ya didn't go along with it, ya were tried for treason...and then killed. Shit got really bad when Papyrus was a teenager and started training ta join the guard. He was just so...motivated and excited ta be apart of something like that. How could I not help him? He was the only bright thing I had left in that shithole of a place." _

Diana sat down in her chair,  _ "ok, so you helped him train for the Royal Guard or whatever, but when he did he get the permanent stick up his ass?" _ Sans rolled his eyes and glared at her,  _ "didja think the Royal Guard meant going around waterin' flowers and being nice and shit?! They were training for a war they probably wouldn't come back from! Ya couldn't afford to be weak minded, so I trained him as best as I could. Didn't even think he'd take on Captain Undyne, and kick her sorry ass to the ground, that's how he got the scar over his eye. He, uh, he earned lieutenant pretty quickly after that match and everything just went downhill from there.."  _ He leaned more into you and you stroked his skull gently,  _ "he just started growin' colder, more authoritative. Less time spent at home, less time...spent with me. Over time, I hated seein' what he became, but at the same time was so f*in happy n' accomplished that he got ta where he worked so hard ta get ta. I just wish we could've kept the same relationship we had before all this shit, but then the kid came around..."  _ You kissed his skull and continued stroking it as he started to shake. You were no stranger to his reactions to when he recollected meeting 'the kid' for the first, and thereafter, many times. He was slowly getting better and could talk about the nightmares and resets that took place in the Underground, but some days when he was feeling particularly down, it was a trap waiting to spring. 

_ "It's ok, sans. You don't have to talk about that right now, just remember you're not Underground, the resets are gone, and...Papyrus is still here. He may not show his emotions on his sleeve as well as you or any of us would like, but I'm sure he cares about you." _ He leaned up and wiped everything away, _ "yeah, I guess so. -sigh- I think...I think I'm gonna go now. I need to go clear my head on some things."  _ You let him rise from the couch and he slowly shuffled to the door and left without his other mustard. You were left feeling guilty that you had caused some of this rift and decorating the tree was the farthest thing from your mind at this point.  _ "What are we going to do about this?"  _ you whispered softly as you picked up the half eaten mustard to take back to the kitchen. Diana was of very little help, _ "I have a date with Lord Royal Pain in the Ass Skeletor tomorrow night and no clothes that suffice for it."  _ You rolled your eyes, you couldn't tell if she was upset about the date or the clothing issue,  _ "just wear the red one from New Years last year."  _ Diana shook her head furiously,  _ "are you crazy?! That 'dress' was a freakin' miniskirt! I can't wear that to a date with Papyrus! Which I still CANNOT believe you both tricked me into it!"  _ You smiled and shrugged,  _ "Friends help friends get laid, Di. So, are you going to go with the fishnet or the thigh highs?"  _

Your face met with a pillow that was thrown from her chair and she stormed off. When the door slammed shut, you were left alone in the living room with the bare tree. The box of decorations lay untouched and everything was quiet. You sat on the couch and pondered, sans and papyrus shouldn't have to be apart like that on Christmas. While you were apart from your own family due to location differences, you at least connected with your family over Skype and phone calls, along with sending presents. Diana was family too, and you couldn't imagine a Christmas without her, but now you also had sans to celebrate with. You brought the box around and felt around, you knew most of the decorations by touch and there were lights, tinsel, and...you brushed against something...foreign. Your hands wrapped around the small ornament and you picked it up and brought it close to your face. It was a tiny handmade ornament from when you were younger in the shape of a tree, someone else had written the words, but on each little section of the tree a part of a phrase was written, "like branches on the Christmas tree, we all grow in different directions, but our roots remain as one."

You thought about it for a moment longer, maybe you could help sans and papyrus out and rekindle their brotherly love! Man, could you even do that in a week? You certainly were going to try and chose to hang that ornament on the tree first, cementing your goal and as the tree was decorated from the bottom up, your determination rose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Incident* - is something that is coming up in the main plot, so I guess this interlude is also a teaser??? Hooray for multitasking chapters! Please also either look up the original 80s Grey Poupon commercial or just catch the reference in Wayne's World to get it. lol


	12. An Ivory Christmas - Part 2

_ "Jesus, this dress is too fuckin' short!" _

Diana stared at herself in the mirror and desperately tried yanking down on the end of the dress, but the hem stayed right where it was at, near the middle of her thighs. She felt a bit more secure with the dark, patterned hose she had on, but there would be no easy moving around in this dress. Not if she wanted to be showing everyone her business, which she did not ever want to be caught in that situation ESPECIALLY on a date with Papyrus. Her makeup was dark and colorful, just how she liked it and her mass of wavy hair piled high on her head in a bun. It looked like a crazy business casual got messed up with a wild Friday night, but she loved the juxtaposition. She was still a little irritated that she got roped into this by you and sans, but she wasn't going to try and get on Papyrus' worse side. He was bad enough now with all the stalking around, she didn't want to know how much worse he could get if she refused this one date. She'd go through with it and hopefully he'd back off, maybe just a little. Ok, so she was also kinda excited, she couldn't even remember the last date she'd been on! Speaking of, Diana glanced at the clock as it was nearly seven with no sign of- KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

_ "*sigh* Here we go",  _ she straightened her dress, took one more look in the mirror and grabbed her fleecy jacket and carefully sprinted through the cluttered home and opened the door.  Papyrus and his ever present scowl was greeting her at the door...in a spiked leather jacket?! _ **"YOU'RE LATE, MISS DIANA. I..."**   _She ignored him and looked him over and took in the blood red turtlenecked sweater that lay underneath the jacket with black dress pants and shoes along with his trademark scarf. Well, at least it wasn't that embarrassing armor getup, he almost looked normal. Well, if normal could be defined as a six foot walking, scowling skeleton with magic powers, sure. She noticed he had trailed off and was simply staring at her,  _ "I am NOT late, Papyrus. I've been sitting in my chair for the past 15 minutes waiting for YOU to show up. I think it's you who's late!"  _ Papyrus still looked shocked as if no one had called him on his bullshit before even though she called him out whenever he was in her presence,  **_"I...I...LET'S GO, OUR RESERVATION IS AT 7:30._ ** **_PROMPTLY_ ** **_AT 7:30."_ ** Diana rolled her eyes, but pulled her jacket on and stepped into her heels and grinned when she was maybe an inch or two taller than him now. 

It was cold outside, but the wind had died down and little flurries wisped here and there. Whatever crazy weather system that had continuously dumped snow on the tiny town for the better part of the month was starting to move on, but they were still definitely in for a white Christmas. Diana took a few steps down the stairs , but slipped on the very last one, toppling into Papyrus. _ "Shit, sorry! Ugh, you'd think with all the snow, they'd throw some salt onto the friggin' stairs!"  _ He didn't say anything, but she noticed there was a slight red tinge to his pointed cheekbones before he swiftly turned to his vehicle....which was a tanked out motorcycle. It was huge! There was no way in hell she was going to be warm riding on that! He looked at her expectantly, **_"IT IS IMPRESSIVE, IS IT NOT?! NO ONE WOULD BELIEVE IT, BUT SANS ACTUALLY BUILT THIS THE FIRST YEAR WE LEFT THE UNDERGROUND."_ ** Diana stared back at the hulking ride, he BUILT that!??! Damn, sans could be making some real money if one of the shops would let him apply. Diana knew more than a handful of people who owned motorcycles that would drop cold, hard cash for something like this. She thought for a moment more before scurrying back up the steps,  _ "Two minutes, Bonebarian!"  _ She was in the apartment in a flash, kicking off the heels and shoving her feet into her favorite knee high boots and throwing off the fleecy jacket and reaching into the back of her closet to grab the barely worn leather cutoff jacket. Before rushing out the door, she stared at herself in the mirror, her wavy hair was piled high in a bun which she decided right then and there to let it down and tore away the tie, letting it flow free.

She may not be the thinnest, may not be the prettiest, but the minute she got into those boots and jacket and let her hair down, she was the baddest bitch in this building. She locked the door and ran back down to the entrance where Papyrus was tapping his boot in annoyance with his back to her. He turned to mouth off to her, but stopped as she descended the stairs carefully, minding the icy slip of the bottom step. Instantly she knew he was staring like that at her for reasons other than making them late to their dinner reservation. She walked past and pulled the helmet from his hands and put it on,  _ "c'mon, Papyrus, I'm freezing my ass off. Let's go eat this wonderful lasagna you won't shut up about."  _ She winked at him and slid the visor shut as she hiked one leg up and over the gigantic motorcycle. Fuck modesty, no one was going to be messing with her on this thing, if they valued their lives. Safely on, she patted the seat in front of her and it took a moment before Papyrus shook his head and stomped over, throwing his own leg over the cycle, putting his helmet on and starting up the bike. It was the loudest thing she'd ever been on, and vibrated like crazy! She could hear the rattling of his bones and he revved the engine before pulling out sharply, causing her to grab around his rib cage, lest she accidentally fell off.

She curled around him and found he was actually pretty warm! The wind whipped around them as he merged onto the crowded highway and she grabbed tighter as his speed increased. It had been awhile since she had rode on a motorcycle with someone and she couldn't help but feel uneasy he glided in and out of traffic, although smoothly, he was close to hitting some people or just outright nearly cutting them off. The lights and buildings were going by in a blur, the roar of the cycle and the vibrations were calming and she very nearly found herself nodding off. Eventually the motorcycle exited the highway and pulled off into a side street to slowly come to a stop in front of a small building. Diana realized they were in an older part of town, the buildings were more run down and it was so quiet, but there seemed to be quite the hustle and bustle inside the small building. Papyrus helped Diana step off the bike as she took her helmet off, shaking her head to release her pent up waves. Papyrus watched with fascination as her bundle of hair cascaded everywhere before turning to hide his growing redness. He was The Great and Terrible Papyrus! He couldn't walk into this establishment looking like some love struck dolt! He still held the door open for her, as he did have some modicum of decency.

Diana stepped inside as her senses came alive with the smell of freshly baked bread, Italian spices, and pasta wafted through her nose. Papyrus walked with purpose towards the back before he was accosted by one of the workers,  _ "AH, PAPYRUS, MY FRIEND! COME COME, YOUR TABLE AWAITS YOU AS INSTRUCTED."  _ Diana's eyes widened as Papyrus actually smiled and gave the man a hug before turning to show her off,  **_"DANIEL, THIS IS MISS DIANA. PLEASE ENSURE THAT SHE IS TREATED WELL WHILE I GO INSPECT THE KITCHEN."_ ** The gentleman nodded and held his hand out for hers, she gave it to him and he bent down to kiss it gently,  _ "Ah, she is indeed a pretty one, Papyrus. Only the best for her, yes" _ He took her jacket and hung it up before he started to pull her into the back and she looked in question to Papyrus as he strode into the kitchen and began bellowing orders to the servers and cooks. The man named Daniel took her farther and farther into the back of the restaurant past several crowded rooms with loud, happy people eating and conversation to a small, private room. In it was a single table that was adorned with a white tablecloth, two sets of serving plates and silverware. Wine glasses were set down and a single candle was lit in the middle. A small fireplace had a large fire going to ensure heat was distributed evenly and God, could he go more out of his way to make this a romantic date?!

Daniel pulled her chair out and gestured for her to sit. She did and immediately he was pouring a dark red wine into her glass and offering fresh bread. She took a sip of the wine and immediately enjoyed the rich, fruity taste. Daniel was setting the plates and making room for the salad and main course and all the while, she could hear Papyrus yelling in the kitchen, not necessarily in anger, but the way a head cook would do during the dinner rush hour. As Daniel was mixing the salad she grew curious about the interaction between him and Papyrus,  _ "So, um, Daniel was it? H-how did you and Papyrus meet?"  _ He stopped mixing and for once his smile faltered a bit, but slowly grew back,  _ "Mr. Papyrus prevented our business from being robbed....and my family from being killed."  _ He continued to mix the salad like what he said was just a casual response and continued about his duties. Diana was in shock, Papyrus...saving someone? Let alone a family? That didn't fit the scowling skeleton's PR at all. _ "Heh, I can see by your face that you do not believe me, but what I say is true. My family has not been in this town for long like him, but we were determined to escape the turmoil of our village and set out to start new lives. It was almost taken away from us when we first opened this restaurant. We are not in the best part of this town and what little money was made the first day was taken by a group of men with no dignities to be found."  _

He refilled her wine glass and pulled a chair up beside her and sat backwards on it, leaning on the back of the chair,  _ "Miss Diana, I watched my sons be beat to an inch of their lives and my wife threatened to the point where she no longer leaves the home in fear of another attack. I, myself, was forced to my knees at gunpoint while they did all this. I could do nothing but pray and my relationship with the Lord has not been a good one, but I prayed for the safety of my family, for some sort of angel to come. I cared not what happened to me, only for their safety. When the door opened and in stepped Mr. Papyrus, I was horrified at first, we only heard stories of the monsters that emerged from the mountain, but never had seen one. He looked just as vicious as the men that were abusing my family and I thought instead of an angel, Death had come for us. But, instead of walking away, he...he saved us. I will not go into detail of how he did so, but I think you can put two and two together of what happened. I am forever been in his debt and offered him money, but he wouldn't take it. The only thing he wished was a good, homemade lasagna every so often to enjoy. This is the first time he has brought a guest, so I would appreciate if you would keep him happy. We can only offer him this much." _

Diana nodded and he rose, putting the seat back where it belonged and gathered a few items to take back into the kitchen. Before leaving, he spoke once more,  _ "He is hard shelled like pasta, Miss Diana, but with enough warm water and a little salt of your own, he'll soften a bit and you'll see who he really is. Please, enjoy your food."  _ With that, he left her alone in the background with the soft music flowing in from the crackling speakers on the wall. Well, she was just thrown her biggest curve ball of the night. The terribly corny synonym was weighing on her along with the story he told. Papyrus, caring for not only **_A _** human, but an entire family as well?! His disposition didn't show any signs of doing something like that, but...Diana thought for a little bit. Had she really given him the time or place to show he was anything more than an arrogant being? No, not really. She took another long sip of her wine and felt its effects mulling her mind a bit, alright maybe she could enjoy a dinner with Papyrus and maybe find out a little more about him.

Papyrus suddenly entered the room, without the jacket and sat in the seat across from her,  **_"I TRUST THAT DANIEL HAS SEEN TO YOUR NEEDS?"_ ** Diana nodded,  _ "he was more than gracious to my needs, Papyrus." _ Papyrus smiled,  **_"GOOD. DANIEL IS...A CLOSE FRIEND. I DO NOT HAVE MANY THAT I CAN CALL THAT SO I APPRECIATE HIM WHEN I CAN."_ ** Daniel appeared with another waiter,  _ "dinner is served, my friend. I feel this is our best lasagna yet."  _ The top was taken off the platter and there sat a large, scrumptious portion of lasagna with cheese and sauce and the heavenly aroma was incredible. Papyrus patted Daniel on the shoulder,  **_"IT APPEARS THAT YOU HAVE OUTDONE YOURSELF, DANIEL. IF WE NEED ANYTHING, I'LL CALL."_ ** Daniel smiled and bowed before backing out of the room and leaving Papyrus and Diana alone. Diana didn't even know where to begin so she took a small scoop of the salad and a piece of bread to nibble on. Papyrus' eye bone raised at her small portions, but said nothing as he grabbed her plate and heaved a generous portion of the lasagna onto it. 

He took a rather large portion for himself and took the cloth napkin and put it into the collar of his turtleneck to prevent stains. Diana took her napkin and put it in her lap and went to take a bite of the tasty looking lasagna when Papyrus cleared his non existent throat. She looked up and he held his wine glass out, as if to toast. ........Oh, he did want to toast to something, she hastily picked her own glass up and held it near his. He seemed to be thinking of what to say and finally said softly,  **_"OUR INTRODUCTIONS DID NOT START OUT THE BEST OR EVEN GREATEST, MISS DIANA. I HOPE TO CORRECT THAT AND START OVER WITH A FORMAL DINNER SUCH AS THIS TO BEGIN A NEW...FRIENDSHIP."_ ** Diana was taken aback a bit, but didn't let it show on her face. Papyrus seemed to be very sincere in his toast, his smile was not forced nor was it sarcastic and when she looked into his eye lights, they were soft and bright. She realized she had been staring too long and she cleared her throat,  _ "Y-yes, Papyrus, I agree that introductions were not the best, especially on my part. I did not have intentions of getting...shit faced before finding you. I feel that Drunk Diana is probably not the best person to be around, let alone meeting for the first time. I...I look forward to working on a new friendship." _ They clinked their glasses and both took a sip of the wine and began to eat quietly. 

Eventually the quiet atmosphere was too much for Diana as it allowed her mind to wander and think for far too long and after swallowing a bite of the lasagna, she blurted without thinking,  _ "Why did you save Daniel's family?"  _ Papyrus stopped mid bite and placed his fork back down on the plate. Diana nearly slapped herself silly from blurting that out, but Papyrus didn't look upset, only confused for a moment before realization set in and he merely shrugged his shoulders, **_"I, I ACTUALLY DO NOT KNOW WHAT MADE ME INTERVENE THAT DAY. I MERELY CAME FOR THE ITALIAN FOOD THAT THE TOWN HALL IMBECILE HAD SAID WAS THE POOREST AND IN MOST NEED OF HELP. HE WAS AN IDIOT OF COURSE, THE PLACE IS A DUMP, YES, BUT THE FOOD AND THE HUMANS WHO MAKE IT OBVIOUSLY CARE VERY MUCH FOR THEIR CRAFT. I HAD COME IN ONE NIGHT TO TRY THEIR FOOD AND CAME UPON HIS FAMILY BEING ACCOSTED BY LESSER THAN FILTH."_ ** He picked up his wine glass and swirled the red liquid around before taking a sip, **_"I COULD HAVE WALKED AWAY, BUT I SAW DANIEL ON THE GROUND AND HE PLEADED NOT FOR HIMSELF, BUT FOR HIS FAMILY. HE WAS THE ONE WHO WAS ON THE VERGE OF MEETING DEATH AND EVEN THE WORLD IN WHICH I WAS BROUGHT UP IN, I COULD SEE THAT HIS COURAGE IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY WAS WORTH SAVING."_ **

He took another bite of his lasagna and a couple bites of bread,  **_"I'VE KNOWN GREATER MONSTERS THAT DID NOT HAVE AN OUNCE OF COURAGE TO STAND IN DEATH'S WAY FOR SOMETHING PERSONAL TO THEM. IT...IT WAS A REFRESHING CHANGE AND I HAVE TO SAY SPARKED SOMETHING FROM MY PAST THOUGH I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT IT WAS...PERHAPS JUST A FEELING."_ ** His face scrunched up at that last word and Diana noticed,  _ "Feelings aren't a weakness, Papyrus, remember we talked about this. Caring for someone is probably one of the more stronger feelings because if you care enough about someone, nothing will stop them from doing what they must for that someone."  _ She paused and finished off her wine and continued,  _ "you may not see it, but sans probably cares about you more than you know. You realize you're not Underground anymore right? I can't even begin to understand what went on there so I won't even touch that, but did you ever stop and think once you got out that you could, I don't know, mend this relationship you have with sans?! I mean, ever since he met [Y/N], he's improved in just about everything from his job to his disposition!"  _ Diana stopped to take a bite of bread, but continued before Papyrus could interject as the wine was obviously taking hold,  _ "then you explode at the mere talk of Christmas/Gyftmas and damn, I didn't think I'd ever see sans cry, and then the whole thing with him knitting that ratty scarf for you on the last Gyftmas you had or whatever before shit hit the fan really threw me for a loop but-"  _

  
Diana continued on, words slurring together into a congealed murmured mess until Papyrus finally had enough,  **_"STOP. TALKING."_ ** That got her to shut up and she clamped her hand over her mouth, realizing just how much she had just spewed out with very little thought to what she was saying. Papyrus was upset, partially upset at her for being right, but mostly...he was upset at himself.  _ "I'm sorry, Papyrus. That...all that was uncalled for."  _ Diana's appetite had disappeared and she very much wanted to crawl into one of the holes in the floorboard and die for saying all that to him. Papyrus' face was torn, but there was no mistaking the tears that once again collected in the corners of his sockets, **_"I CAN'T HELP MYSELF, DIANA. AFTER SO MANY YEARS UNDERGROUND, IT'S HARD TO CHANGE."_** He pushed the plate to the side and placed his hands over his face, Diana just now realized that he was without his gloves and that his bones were heavily scarred. Throwing her napkin on the table, she rose and walked over to his side, she caused this, she'll fix it. She pulled his skull to her stomach and hugged it, _"look, let's not end this nice dinner fighting. I know you're capable of change, Papyrus, everyone is. It's not an overnight thing, and to be frank, it's probably going to be awhile for you."_ His hands dropped from his face and he wound them around her, _"I'll be honest and say I haven't given you enough chances to show me you're anything but an arrogant Boninator bent on assassinating everyone in sight with your critiques, so I have some work to do myself."_

She pulled his head away and he looked up at her, _"Christmas or Gyftmas or whatever you want to call it seems to have similar themes, so maybe we can both work on not being shitheads to others? I won't promise you that it'll be easy, but I'm sure [Y/N] and sans...they would appreciate the effort. What say you, Great and...Awesome Papyrus?"_ He looked nervous for a moment, and she brushed a couple of tears away before he stood as well and held her hands in his, ** _"I CANNOT MAKE A PROMISE, DIANA, BUT I WILL TRY...FOR THE SAKE OF SANS. I...DO NOT WISH TO LOSE HIM."_** She smiled and he returned the grin, _"sounds good, Paps, now can we finish this? I am tired of being polite and ready to tear into this lasagna like a mad woman!"_ The grin faltered a bit, but it was still there as he sat her back down. They finished the dinner without any further interruption save for Daniel and his band of merry men who brought in a small orchestra. The music was soft and after a couple more glasses of wine, Papyrus actually got up from his chair and held his hand out, offering a dance. Diana stared at the outstretched, scarred hand, but grabbed onto it and allowed herself to be pulled into a slow dance in front of the fire.

The group of men continued to play and Daniel watched with quiet satisfaction as the two danced. His own wife appeared by his side and whispered once she recognized Papyrus, _"is that l'angelo scheletro?"_ Daniel wrapped his arm around her and stared back at the smiling couple, _"it is, Alicia, and he is happy."_ Diana had laid her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed with a serene smile on her face. Papyrus turned as they danced and his eyes widened in surprise at the realization that they were being watched. Daniel held a finger to his lips to advise him to be silent as Diana continued to twirl them around. Papyrus acknowledged him and continued to dance, enjoying the warmth that surrounded them. 

A soft, red glow pulsed strongly beneath the dark red sweater and for once, Papyrus was truly at peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fell!Papyrus feels like he'd be a lot like Gordon Ramsey. He values hard work when it comes to making a delectable meal, and when he's shone that someone cares enough for their food craft, he's more open to be friendly to them. The cooks and waiters may not like it, but he makes sure that Daniel is treated well and the food made is the greatest. lol


	13. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening, everyone! Yes, I am back at this story again featuring YOU, Diana, sans and Papyrus! It was a hectic 2017 holiday and it's been even more crazy at the start of 2018, but this story is still going...now where it'll stop, I don't know that nor do I know the current destinations. lol I'm happy to continue getting kudos and comments on this wild train of a fic and hope I can continue to amuse! 
> 
> Note: I have plans for this to eventually turn NSFW in the future, so if that don't float your boat, I'll mark the chapters explicitly! 
> 
> Enjoy!

The months passed along and finally the snow was starting to melt. Gone were the dreary, cloudy days and the sun had finally been able to fully come out and start warming the town up after its icy winter. You were so excited to finally trade in your layered outfits for sundresses and skirts as they were your more preferred style, plus it meant less for you to wash and anything to spend less time in the college laundromat, the better.

Speaking of, the college was starting to pick up now that a new semester was just around the corner and you were on overtime at the bookstore getting ready for the flash mob of students all coming to get their supplies at the same time. Of course, your work was nearly cut in half due to the new helper you had, well, when he wasn’t sleeping on the job in the back of the supply room. You had just finished putting the history textbooks on the shelf and was going to see if you could hurry with the psych books before heading out for the night when you crashed into something...or someone in the doorway.

It was a fact that sans found new ways to fascinate you everyday, whether it was something with his magic, his vast scientific and mechanical knowledge, his endless list of insults and puns, or how he could literally be in the middle of something and just fall dead asleep. You giggled to yourself, “dead asleep”, you were trying to get better with your puns, but they always seemed to come out when sans wasn’t around or passed out. It looks like he was actually in the middle of bringing up the small box of psych books when sleep suddenly overtook him. It really wasn’t supposed to be funny as narcolepsy was a serious condition that lots of people dealt with everyday, but today he had worn a sweater with the phrase, _“Dear Life, could you at least start using lubricant?!”_ on it and it killed you every time you caught a glimpse of it.

Sans’ narcolepsy and depression had actually started to improve since you’d met him and while he did have his setbacks, they were far outweighed by his accomplishments. You’d hoped that with the snow melting, you could help him back in the park to get his stand back up for the Spring and Summer semesters. Every poor college kid that was slowly going instant ramen insane, could at least get a cheap hot dog to break up the monotony. But, for now, sans was fine with helping you in the bookstore, staying in the back away from others and sorting the different textbooks. You found him every now and then, caught up in reading a few of them, specifically the auto mechanic ones. On the days that you were a bit slower, you made sure to give him books of similar subjects to peruse and he seemed to enjoy himself.

He had been helping you a great deal as well, even if he didn’t really know it. You felt like you had more self confidence nowadays, you even wore your glasses on a regular basis now, even though they made you look a little weird with your magnified pupils. Sans disagreed and after making sure no one was around, would compliment your eye color and then give you a quick kiss. Despite his rough and gruff exterior, he was quite the softie and LOVED snuggle time. Most nights were spent with him wrapped around you in some form or fashion on the bed as you stroked his skull and scrolled through your numerous blogs and web comics before eventually curling around him as well to sleep soundly.

He had very few night terrors now, and if he did have a specific bad episode, his brother was just across the hallway in Diana’s room. Sometimes, only a brother’s love could fix things and while still a bit reluctant to do so, Papyrus would gather his smaller sibling and take him to the living room to comfort him in private before bringing him back. Since Christmas time, Papyrus and Diana had become...something of a couple. Like, a total power struggle couple, each competing who could either love or piss off the other better. Most times it was a toss up as they’d tire each other out in their endeavors, but for the most part they got along just fine.

Diana was still working as an emergency responder and Papyrus...well, Papyrus did whatever Papyrus does. Both brothers seemed to have their hobbies and Papyrus was one for two things outside of screaming: puzzles and pasta. Holy Hell, you never wanted to have lasagna again after two weeks straight of the stuff. Diana was fine with it, she was a pasta fanatic and her job had her burning more carbs than she could consume so she was all over him in the kitchen, much to his dismay. He wasn’t quite into snuggling like sans that you could see, but he had lightened up quite a bit, especially upon realizing his brother suffered, and had been suffering, from specific illnesses that he often probably made worse while back in the Underground.

His attempts to help sans were just a tad babying and overpowering, but Papyrus meant well and when sans was just about to have a meltdown, both you and Diana would pull them aside respectively and basically tell both to take a chill pill. There were less fights and more bonding that was long overdue for the both of them and both you and Diana were determined to help them through their problems. Things were looking up and going smoothly for everyone, but no one ever really foresees the potholes that lay in the road of life ahead...

[*Alarm Clock starts to blare*](https://youtu.be/LcmBALxDkRY?t=1m53s) 

The familiar noise of one of your favorite bands blared through your phone on the nightstand as it signaled it was time to get up for yet another day. You attempted a morning stretch only to be inhibited by the mass of skeletal limbs that was sans. You rapped on the side of his skull lightly with your knuckles, _“sugarskull, it’s time to wake up!”_ He grumbled and smooshed his face further into your chest, _“oh c’mon, sans! Today’s the day we go see if the remains of the Weenie Shack held up against the force of cruel Mother Nature!”_ He groaned and the vibrations tickled you, causing you to push his head away, _“look, do you want more mustard or not?”_

His head finally popped up as bleary sockets stared back at you, the mustard gets him every time, _“aw, c’mon, babe, it’s too early fer that. Lemme just have 5 more minutes.”_ You gave a kiss between his eyes and then shoved a pillow in his face, _“FINE. I’m going to go shower, if you’re not up and moving around by the time I’m out, I’m giving you the icebox treatment again.”_ He pulled the pillow down just enough to let his red eye lights shine, _“Ya wouldn’t dare do that again.”_ An empty threat to which you simply responded with a smile, _“Try me and see what it gets you.”_ With that, you grabbed some clothes from the closet and went about your daily showering ritual.

You took your time in the shower, well going beyond the 5 minute window you gave sans, but you couldn't help but pamper yourself today. Sure, you were probably going to get dirty and sweaty if you were to be fixing his hot dog stand, but you were going to look and smell great anyway. Shower done and smelling floral sweet, you picked up a pair or faded shorts and as you bent to grab the shirt you had picked out, you saw one of sans' shirts hung up. Even without your glasses, you could tell it was a deep red color and you took a moment to grab it off the hanger and held it up to your nose and inhaled, the scent was still unmistakably sans, no matter how much fabric refresher and soap had been put into it.

The smell was woodsy, like he'd been around some kind of pine tree for a really long time, which if memory served you correctly, his explanation of Snowdin where he and his brother had lived, was surrounded by dark forests, so it was kind of ingrained in him at this point. There were other little smells that you enjoyed, the cigarette smoke from when he'd stand on the balcony on some cloudless nights and stare at the stars while partaking in a cigarette or two. He had no lungs to pollute, but the magic infused smoke was just enough to spread a pleasant warmth through his rib cage as he enjoyed the silence of the late night and the beauty of the sky above. The last scent you could not place on any specific thing, it just smelled like sans. It was a warm, spicy smell and you were pretty sure you could get high off it the more you breathed it in, but a knock at the door broke you from your trance.

 _"Ey, it's been more than five minutes...like twenty ta be exact, whaddya doin' in there?"_ You stared down at the shirt and then to the closed door before answering nervously _, "n-nothing! Just...just taking my time, I'll be right out! You ready?"_ He grumbled something and you quickly made the choice to put his shirt on. It just felt right to do so, even if it was a little big on you. Quickly blow drying your hair and washing your face to keep the face demons at bay, you finally exited the bathroom. sans was sitting on the bed, perusing one of your romance novels and you blushed as he was reading one of your more ~exciting~ ones. Without looking up he called out, _"yer a kinky one, ain'tcha? I thought those split second images I saw in yer soul were just my manifestations imprinting on ya, but after readin' just a few pages of this, I'm not so sure now."_ You had nothing to say back, the both of you had rarely spoken of the soul thing that happened two months ago, but you'd be lying if you didn't want to try it again. It was such a new and satisfying experience, you nearly felt starved for it.

When you didn't respond, he looked up from the novel ready to crack another joke when he stopped and his expression went wide with surprise, _"yer...yer wearin' my shirt?"_ You played around with the ends of it as he stared at you, his expression unreadable, one because you couldn't actually see it and two, his trademark blush you usually went off of was absent. _"Uh, yeah, I was going to ask if it was ok to wear it as we're going to be working today and it just smells so good-"_ Your mouth snapped shut when you accidentally let that last part out when it probably should've stayed in your head, back in the gutter where it belonged. True, you had kissed several times and snuggling wasn't new, but you hadn't quite graduated to words of affection and you literally just smashed your way through with that tidbit, so...great. There was a bit of awkward silence before you ended it, _"I-I can change into one my other shirts if it's an iss-"_ He suddenly came off the bed, _"_ **_NO._ ** _No, keep...keep it on, please."_ The blush was definitely back and he excused himself to the bathroom, slamming the door, making you jump. You wondered if you had made a mistake in wearing it, but something just felt right by having it on.

You went around to your side of the bed and put on your glasses, before headed back to the still closed door. You could hear shuffling around and feeling curious, pressed your ear up against it after a moment or so. The sounds were muted, but there was no mistaking the heavy breathing and **_"other"_ ** noises accompanied by muffled groans. It didn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together as your eyes went wide with realization of what you were listening in on. This had to be a breach of boundaries on your part, and you quickly darted from the door, calling out, _"H-Hey, I'm going to go get breakfast started!"_ You scurried away and out the door down to the kitchen, your mind a jumbled mess and those sounds permanently embedded in your head for the rest of the day. Diana was already up and eating cereal at the table and she looked up at you in confusion, _"What's up with you?"_ You ignored her for a moment as you went to the fridge and started pulling ingredients out before turning suddenly and whispering into her ear quite loudly, _"you will NOT believe what just happened!"_

She pushed you away and continued to eat, _"what, Bonehead actually got up before you for once?"_ You face palmed, _"NO, something else! Ok, so he and I were sleeping on one another-"_ Diana interrupted with her hand, _"ah ah ah, save the details, I'm eating breakfast!"_ You shook your head, _"sleeping! We were just sleeping, but! I got up to shower and saw one of sans' shirts hanging up and I thought I'd wear it since we're going to be doing some work today. When I came out of the shower, he was really quiet and I thought he was upset that I was wearing his shirt and as I made the comment to switch it, he suddenly came off the bed and vehemently told me to keep it on before running into the bathroom and then I heard some noises..."_ You finally stopped to catch your breath and stared at Diana for some sort of explanation. She had gone quiet, _"what kind of noises?"_ You gave her a sarcastic look, _"you know_ **_exactly_ ** _what kind of noises I'm talking about, Diana."_ Her eyes went wide as she dropped her spoon into into her bowl, _"no fucking way."_ You nodded your head, a smile spreading across your face before you were spooked from the door opening and closing down the hall. Diana pulled you close, _"we're not finished with this conversation!",_ before letting you go and you turned to start the stove to cook some breakfast.

The rest of the morning was relatively quiet, everything was normal as usual, except for the fact that sans was literally attached to your side the minute he left the bedroom. Diana had noticed as well and kept giving you winks and thumbs up whenever sans was turned or preoccupied with his meal. Papyrus had been working his early morning job and returned just as the three of you were getting ready to head for the park. He entered the apartment and pulled Diana into a hug, nuzzling her head before heading to her room to change clothes. _"Oh my god, he IS a snuggler!."_ You couldn't help but grin when Diana glared at you, _"he's just getting into being affectionate out in public, don't ruin it!"_ You couldn't reply back with anything good anyway, sans was currently sprawled across your lap in the middle of a mid morning nap. You stroked his skull as you always did and enjoyed seeing his mouth turn up into a smile, _"still working on this one, but he's making good progress."_ Diana snorted, _"understatement of the year, [Y/N]. So, are we going to go fix this shack or what? I had some other things I wanted to do today and I promised Papyrus we'd go to the bookstore for more of his puzzles."_

You nodded, you and sans needed to stop at the store for groceries and his usual monthly shipment of mustard. You gently tapped on the side of his head, _"c'mon sleepybones, let's go get this shack built."_ He groaned, but eventually sat up and brushed sleep from his sockets. When his eyelights cleared, he smiled and leaned in for a kiss which you gladly returned. Diana and then Papyrus who stomped in after changing his attire, both gagged at the sight, _**"SANS, STOP YOUR CANOODLING THIS INSTANT. LET US GO FIX YOUR HEALTH CODE VIOLATION SHACK AND BE DONE WITH IT. MISS DIANA AND I WILL NOT BE SPENDING ALL DAY HELPING YOU FOR WE HAVE OTHER MEANS TO ATTEND TO BEFORE TONIGHT."** _ sans stood up from the couch, _"aw, c'mon bro, wooden't ya want ta spend all day with me? Or do ya really get that board of me?"_ Papyrus ground his teeth together before swiftly turning and walking out the door with an irritated Diana fleeing after to try and pacify him. You were left behind with sans, giggling, _"You're such a bonehead."_

The park was mostly cleared of snow as everyone squeezed on the narrow walkway towards the back of the park. sans was a bit nervous to come back where he had nearly been beaten to death, but several reassurances from you, Diana, and Papyrus made him feel a little more comfortable. Holding his hand was helping him as well, giving something to ground him and you made sure to stick close to him, staying vigilant of everyone around the both of you. _**"THERE IS THE PILE OF ROTTEN BOARDS YOU CALL A SHACK."** _ Papyrus pointed to a snow covered pile and after some of it was brushed away, it was indeed the remains of sans' Weenie Shack. _"Well, certainly after yours and Diana's help, we'll get sans' Weenie Shack up and running in no time!"_ The remark was just enough to get Papyrus to start pulling up boards and sorting them out, already configuring in his mind how to fix this shamble of a puzzle.

Meanwhile, sans had yet to move from the sidewalk, seemingly frozen in place, _"sans, are you alright?"_ When he didn't answer, you stood in front of him and placed your hands on his face. His breathing was a bit erratic and he was sweating, his eyelights unfocused on you. It was evident he was in the midst of a panic attack or working his way into a big one, _"focus on me, sans, and breathe. In...out...in...out, you're alright. Those thugs aren't here and we're all here to protect you._ _You're safe_ _."_ Slowly, his breathing matched yours and his hazy eyelights grew solid and he pulled you in for a tight hug. You stroked his skull and rubbed his back, continuing to offer comfort. He seemed to calm down after a few minutes, but refused to let go, _"hey, sugarskull, you mind letting me go or..."_ He suddenly made a noise, it was a sound you'd heard before, but certainly not from him as it reverberated up from his ribcage. It was a low rumble, not quite a growl, but enough that it slightly rattled his ribcage. Something was mumbled in it all and you froze, a single word was said and it sent shivers down your spine with its intensity:

 

**_"Mine."_ **

 

Then he was fine, like nothing had happened, he shuffled away to help Papyrus sort the boards and left you there, your head spinning further. Diana witnessed the entire scene and came over, _"Uhhh...what the hell was that!?"_ You took a moment to process what he said, _"he..he said I'm his..."_ Diana's gaze widened and then relaxed, _"is he starting that 'mine' shit, too? Papyrus does that when we're laying down to sleep. Most of the time he gets a pillow to the face which snaps him back to reality. He won't really talk about it if I bring it up, and sure, it's kinda weird, but none of this-"_ she made a large circle with her finger, _"is normal."_ You and Diana turned as the boys started to argue and Diana sighed, _"we better go separate them before they start yelling at one another, I can't survive another migraine brought on by Paps' screams."_

Diana strolled over in between them and you could tell she was telling them both off by the way sans shrunk under her and the grim look on Papyrus' face. You were still taken aback at how casual Diana felt about the brothers and their newly formed possessiveness. You weren't afraid of sans or anything, just a bit uncertain at the future ahead. You were the type to take it slow and build up the relationship, but then again I guess you had demolition-ed that wall back during the soul experience and now with wearing his clothes. But, if he truly loved you and felt the need to voice it that aggressively, you would try and give that same amount of energy back...just maybe by breaking it up over small increments.

By the late afternoon, the Weenie Shack was back in business, this time a bit closer to the main walkway and built to be a bit more sturdy. A fresh coat of paint, a place to hide the tip jar plus, a few of Papyrus' 'defense' puzzles laid out to deter any future brawls completed the shack. You were splattered with paint and were apologizing profusely to sans. Had you known you were so clumsy with a paintbrush, you would've worn your own shirt to damage. _"[Y/N], [Y/N]! I said it's a'ight. I can tell ya I've gotten much, much worse splattered on my shirts."_ Two scenarios went through your mind, one had blood in it, the other....yep, there went your face again with the blushing.

sans immediately caught on and smiled deviously, _"whatcha thinkin' about there, kitten?"_ You stared at him, mouth firmly shut, and face redder than his ever got, _"N-nothing! It's just hot out here..."_ Smooth, real smooth. He started to cackle and leaned in to whisper just under his breath, _"oh I bet it's hot in here, but if ya can't stand the heat, get outta the fryin' pan."_ You pushed his skull away and rolled your eyes, but started to laugh when you saw your hand had left a painted hand print on his head, _"Haha, looks like I marked you, sans! Guess you're mine now!"_ Part of you was joking, but deep inside seeing that hand print gave you a sense of accomplishment and you truly meant the latter part of the remark.

sans, on the other hand, had gone silent again. He stared at you as his eyelights faded and his brother came up, **_"IF WE ARE DONE HERE, WE WOULD LIKE TO BE ON...OUR...WAY? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SANS?!"_ ** Apparently the fun and games were over with and you replied, _"I, I just accidentally got paint on his skull. I, um, said that I marked him and that he was mine now?"_ Papyrus' expression turned to surprise then what looked like angry irritation, **_"WE WILL SPEAK LATER, [Y/N]. MISS DIANA, THE PUZZLE SHOP AWAITS THE GREAT PAPYRUS. LET'S GO."_ ** Diana mouthed, _"what happened"_ as she walked past and you shrugged, glancing back to sans.

 

Had you said something wrong?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Coming Up...

**_"WHAT ARE YOUR INTENTIONS WITH MY BROTHER, [Y/N]?"_ **

 

Papyrus had cornered you in the kitchen as you were baking muffins for sans. Holding a pan full of very hot, fresh muffins, you plated them and then gave Papyrus your full attention, _"what are you insinuating, Papyrus?"_ Papyrus looked you over and then held your gaze with his piercing red eye lights. ** _"DO YOU LOVE MY BROTHER, [Y/N]?"_** The question caught you off guard but you recovered quickly and honestly, _"of course I do, he's...he's everything I've ever asked for, imperfections and all. He completes me."_ Papyrus continued to stare, almost grudgingly, ** _"HMM, I DO NOT THINK YOU QUITE UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE DOING TO MY BROTHER AND WHAT IS HAPPENING TO HIM, BUT KNOW THIS: IF YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT BREAKING HIS SOUL, I WILL GIVE YOU TERRORS YOU WILL NEVER WAKE FROM."_** The first part confused you, what was wrong with sans? Whatever it was, you'd stick with him, through both the good and the bad. _"Look, Papyrus, I don't know what brought this on or even what is going on with sans, but I'm patient enough to let him tell me when he's ready. Whatever it is, if he's ready in the next 20 minutes or never ready, I won't press him. I love him."_ A sudden wave of emotion came over you as you realized you said the words out loud and in your soul truly meant it, _"I...I love him..."_ Tears sprung to your eyes and you slumped into the chair at the table, staring up at Papyrus in muted happiness, _"I love him truly and unconditionally. Sorry to say, but he's stuck like chuck with me."_

Papyrus didn't even try to control the eye roll and strangled yell that left his mouth, 

**_"UGH, YOU ARE PERFECT FOR HIM."_ **


	14. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE.

Papyrus seemed to be bothered by something as he and Diana walked down the street towards the bookstore. Diana noticed he was deep in thought, his brow bones furrowed and his jaw shut tight,  _ "y'know, it might be easier to deal with if you just let it all out. Holding it in isn't good for you."  _ He stopped and it looked like he might say something, but a human couple walked past them and he eyed them carefully, **_"WE WILL DISCUSS THIS AT HOME. I...I DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE DISCUSSING THIS OUT IN THE OPEN WHERE ANYONE CAN EAVESDROP OR SPY."_ ** Diana looked at the couple that walked past and then back to Papyrus,  _ "alright, Papyrus, let's get to the bookstore and then we'll talk when we get home. Maybe Mr. Simmons has some new puzzles for you to conquer today."  _ They resumed their walk and Diana reached over to grasp his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. He glanced over to her, a slight dusting of red racing across his cheekbones, but she continued to look forward, though there was a smile on her face. She rubbed her thumbs over his knuckles and he returned the gesture with a gentle squeeze and a bit of his concern and anxiety fell away as they stepped into the bookstore.

Mr. Simmons was an older gentleman that owned a small bookstore on the main street of the tiny town near the divide and sold mostly resale books and dvds to the college kids, but he also had an extensive collection of puzzles in one corner of the building. It was literally Papyrus' playground that he instantly gravitated towards the second he was in the door. Diana allowed him to stray off to peruse the various puzzle books and physical puzzle objects so she could chat a little with the owner. He had owned this little shop since she was little and was like the neighborhood grandpa,  _ "afternoon, Mr. Simmons! How are you doing today?"  _ Mr. Simmons glanced up from one of the books he was reading and came around from the counter to give her a hug,  _ "Di! i'm doing good, and you?"  _ He glanced over to see Papyrus already deep into a puzzle book, going through the motions of trying to solve them in record time,  _ "I swear, I think he loves puzzles more than I do. How many has he gone through do you think?"  _ Diana turned and watched as a smile spread across the normally stoic face as he conquered yet another puzzle,  _ "I don't know, but it's one of the few things that make him happy, so as long as you have new stuff for him to solve, he'll keep coming. He's improved a lot, you know? I mean, he can still be a huge pain in the ass sometimes, but he’s trying."  _ Mr. Simmons laughed heartily _ , "ah, young love, it is so good to see you with someone who matches your fire, Diana."  _ She flushed pink and looked at Papyrus who was gathering books to purchase, but said nothing. 

_ _

When Papyrus turned his back to look through the new physical puzzles, she quickly whispered,  _ "did his present come in today?" _ Mr. Simmons smiled and went back to the counter and reached under for a large box that he placed on top,  _ "it has and it's a beauty. How much did you pay to get this made?"  _ Diana shook her head as she opened it to steal a glance at it,  _ "money wasn't an issue, I just hope it's not too simple for him. I don't want to insult him, but I didn't know his level of completion, so I went for one that was simple, but could still be tricky if you didn't know how to approach it." _ Mr. Simmons tapped the box softly, _ "Perfect, my girl, I'm sure he'll love it."  _ Diana held the box close,  _ "I hope so, I think it's a good bonding gift for him." _ A moment later, Papyrus made his way to the counter and Diana quickly closed the box and moved away,  _ "I'm going to wait outside, Bonebarian, don't be too long now!"  _ He grumbled at the nickname she knew he despised(but secretly loved), and motioned for her to be on her way. He waited until the door had shut for him to turn to the store owner,  **_"WELL, DID IT ARRIVE TODAY?"_ **

Mr. Simmons laughed, these two seemed to be cut from the same coin just on different sides, but produced the small box, _ "it has come specifically as you asked, Papyrus. I even took the honor of cleaning it and making sure the parts work perfectly so there will be no issue.."  _ Papyrus set the puzzle books on the counter and took the small box in his hand and opened it, taking the object out and scrutinizing every portion of it before placing it back in the box and then on top of the books. He stood silent for a moment before blurting, **_"DO YOU THINK SHE WILL LIKE IT?!"_ ** Mr. Simmons placed his hand on Papyrus', _ "do not worry, my friend, if it is given with affection then she love it."  _ Papyrus gave a curt nod and then went to retrieve his wallet, but Mr. Simmons put up his hand,  _ "take it, no charge this time. You're a loyal customer who I know will be back next week for the new arrivals, so take this out of friendship."  _ Papyrus stared at the small box and stack of puzzle books and then back to the store owner who was giving him a sentimental smile. He almost thought it was a trap, but they weren't Underground anymore, Mr. Simmons wasn't a threat, he was...another friend?

Eventually Papyrus came out of the store, bag in hand with a pleasant look on his face, ready to go home. He could only take so much being out in the open with humans other than Miss Diana and you and needed some alone time to recuperate. When they arrived home, you and sans were snoozing on the couch and Diana shuffled Papyrus carefully into the kitchen.  _ "They worked at the school late last night and then with the hard work they put in this morning, I sure they're exhausted."  _ She looked at the bag which seemed to hold more than a couple of puzzle books, _ "so, what did you get today?"  _ Papyrus was great at many things, hiding secrets well was not one of them. **_"UH, I DID GET SOME PUZZLE BOOKS...AND ANOTHER...ANOTHER RUBIK'S CUBE! IT'S 17X17X17 THIS TIME, THE LARGEST ONE YET."_ ** Diana smiled and feigned innocence,  _ "wow! I'm sure you'll solve that in record time, we'll need to get Guinness on the phone soon with your achievements."  _ A sharp grin spread across his face,  **_"OF COURSE, NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS."_ ** Diana laughed and then yawned,  _ "well, I think I'm going to follow suit with sans and [Y/N] and take a little nap. Remember we've got dinner to ourselves tonight while sans and [Y/N] head to the car show _ ."

His eye lights brightened, **_"I AM WELL AWARE, MISS DIANA. I WILL BEGIN PREPARING THE MEAL SHORTLY."_ ** She looked at the clock on the wall,  _ "at 2 in the afternoon?"  _ Papyrus rolled his eye lights,  **_"GOOD PREPARATION AND A CLEAN KITCHEN IS IMPERATIVE FOR A NUTRITIOUS, DELICIOUS MEAL. I HAVE STANDARDS YOU KNOW."_ ** Nodding and smiling she turned and made her way to the room, collapsing onto the neatly made bed and curled around Papyrus' pillow. He didn't like her sleeping on top of a neatly made bed, let alone curled around his personal pillow, but he'd get over it. Whatever scent of his permeated the very fabric and after letting him know of this, he tried to clean the sheets and covers extra hard, thinking they somehow stunk. One good thump to the forehead during one of his cleaning rampages left him thoroughly irritated, but when she explained that the smell wasn't dirty, but rather calming, he backed off a little. He had actually been missing one of his work shirts and was not surprised after the discussion to find it on her side of the bed inside her pillow. 

Papyrus had an inkling that their so called "friendship" was morphing into something more foreign, but not unwelcome to him. He found himself awake at night, curling around her form as his soul pulsed contently in his rib cage. An overwhelming feeling of possessiveness began to rear its somewhat ugly head as he craved her attention, her presence. Although they butted heads quite a bit, he enjoyed the fiery wit she had and the near playful fights that he instigated. He would never harm her...on purpose. She was stubborn and had slapped or punched his ribs on more than one account and left bruises on her pride and her knuckles. Thankfully, she was easy to placate, she devoured his cooking and praised it 24/7, keeping his ego satisfyingly stroked. Tonight would be a little bit different though. He produced the small box from the bag and retrieved the wrapping paper he had hidden away in a cupboard and then retrieved another much smaller box. He cracked the small box open and smiled, knowing Diana would enjoy this gift. A small spark of doubt echoed through his soul, but he shooed it away, he was sure she would love it. He picked up the item from the small box and retrieved the other, producing a unique heart shaped box..which happened to be a puzzle.

It was a red heart box that had a small white upside heart in the top left corner. When the small white heart was maneuvered in just the right way, it would slide up and out, allowing the top part of the heart to slide away. It was evident that there was a small, secret compartment inside and he lifted the piece to place the item inside and put everything back together. He placed it in the original box and wrapped it meticulously, wanting it to be completely perfect. Dinner would be perfect as well and he hoped it would end just as well.

* * *

Diana woke a couple hours later, the smell of spices and pasta wafting through the air. She curled tight around the pillow and then stretched, her feet dangling off the end of the bed. She really needed to get a new bed that could accommodate the both of them. She didn't complain about the closeness though. It was pretty comforting to feel someone curled around her, even if he got a bit too clingy right at bedtime. His hand would snake over her midsection and pull her close, his face up against the back of her neck, breathing evenly. She caught him on more than one occasion doing the whole rumbly 'MINE' thing that you had witnessed with sans. A pillow to the face usually brought him out of whatever funk he was in and he went to sleep. She totally didn't mind that he felt that way, she felt it, too. 

She got up from the bed and remade it, not wanting Papyrus to pitch a fit when she wanting tonight to go as smoothly as possible. She walked out of the room, down the hall, following the delicious smells wafting from the kitchen. She snuck up to the corner and peeked her head around, seeing Papyrus putting the finishing touches on not lasagna of all things, but stuffed manicotti. He swapped his clothing for dark jeans and black tank top that was underneath a cooking apron. Oh sweet lord, she was sure her mouth was open and drool was escaping like a waterfall. ** _"YOU MAKE TOO MUCH NOISE COMING DOWN THE HALL AND NOW YOU THINK YOU CAN STARE AND DROOL AT MY BACKSIDE?”_**

Whoops, Diana yet again forgot about Papyrus’ near insane perception levels. There was no sneaking around him, very little ways to surprise him. Wiping her mouth, she smirked, she’d show him, for once she’d get the one up on him tonight. Papyrus shooed her away to the living room while he set the table and the mood lighting. Candles were lit, lights turned off, some soft music playing in the background. The dinner was anything but casual despite what they were wearing. When Papyrus did retrieve Diana, she was tinkering with something on the couch. **_“DIANA?”_** She made a small squeak before putting the object behind her back, _“AH! Uh, is dinner ready?”_

Papyrus stared at her for a moment and Diana hoped he wouldn’t ask about the box. Shit, she should’ve left it alone until dinner was over. No turning back now, she stood and walked over, setting the box beside her chair and sat down, allowing Papyrus to push her chair in. He plated her pasta and paired it with a wine of his choosing. He took his own seat and poured himself a glass of wine, holding it up to toast, ** _“TO...TO…”_** He struggled to find the words as Diana finished it for him, _“to a continuing friendship, may it continue to blossom.”_ Gag, could she be any more cheesy? Papyrus stared at her, his expression unreadable before he smiled at her warmly and finished the toast with a rather big swig. She stared down at the delicious meal and the explosions of flavor on her tongue was incredible. Papyrus watched her face display euphoria and contentment before eating his own food.

_“So, what did you want to talk about earlier today?”_ Papyrus was in the middle of eating another bite when his fork stopped halfway to his mouth and the manicotti fell out. Diana clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles as he quickly wiped his mouth, blushing furiously. _**“I, I WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU NOTICED [Y/N] GETTING CLOSER TO SANS.”** _ Diana rolled her eyes, _“how much closer can they get? If they’re not attached to the hip, one is always following after the other just a few feet behind. I’m surprised they’re not sick of each other yet.”_ Papyrus picked his fork up again to take a bite, ** _“DO YOU FEEL THAT [Y/N] WILL TREAT HIM WELL? HE ONLY HAD ME IN THE UNDERGROUND AND EVEN THEN, I WAS NOT A GOOD BROTHER. I FEAR FOR HIS OVERALL HEALTH SOMETIMES THOUGH I CAN SEE SHE IS HELPING IMPROVE HIS WELL BEING. TO BE HONEST, I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD SEE SANS UP AND MOVING AROUND, LET ALONE WORKING."_**

Diana shrugged, _“maybe he just needed the right inspiration to improve himself. I know [Y/N] took him to the car show when he started showing interest in the mechanic textbooks they were stocking. One of our friends is a local mechanic for model and antique cars. You should’ve seen his face when she threw the tickets in his face. I think he almost cried.”_ She peered down at her nearly empty plate and pushed the sauce around with her fork, _“he’s been really good for her, too. [Y/N], she didn’t really do much before she found him. She was a homebody and very shy. I think they’re good for one another...and even if they deny it, I think they care immensely for one another, maybe even love each other.”_

Papyrus’ fork clattered to his plate and Diana immediately rose and grabbed the present, thinking there was a problem and this may be the only time to give him the gift. Instead, Papyrus was hunched over his plate, tears flowing down his face, a smile grin stretched across his face. **_“I JUST WANT HIM TO BE HAPPY. I’M...I’M GLAD HE IS HAPPY...AND IS FINDING SOMEONE TO BE HAPPY WITH. I HOPE I CAN EXPERIENCE SOMETHING LIKE THAT AS WELL”_** Diana left her chair and went around the table, pulling his skull to her and hugging it, stroking small circles. _“I’m sure you will, Papyrus, sooner than you think.”_ Papyrus pulled back and stared at her with tear rimmed sockets and then glanced away, starting a spew of scathing self rebuttal. He continued to beat down on himself until finally Diana pulled his jaw back to her.

_ "You really need to shut up, Papyrus. You’re making this really hard and I want this to be special!"  _ Papyrus' mouth snapped firmly shut as they stared at one another for a few seconds before they broke the silence at the same time,  **_"THIS IS_ ** _ for you _ **_."_ ** They both held up a wrapped present and thrust it at each other and there was yet another awkward pause before Diana started to laugh and then eventually Papyrus joined in.  _ "Well, that isn't exactly how I planned this going, but uh, I'm not going to complain. I'm sorry for telling you to shut up."  _ Papyrus shook his head, **_"I TEND TO OVER SPEAK WHEN I AM ANXIOUS, IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME YOU HAVE SAID IT TO ME, AND WILL PROBABLY NOT BE THE LAST, SO DO NOT WORRY ABOUT IT."_ ** Diana smiled and placed her box down to grab her chair and pull it close to his side. She sat and took the gift from his hands and then presented Papyrus with hers.  _ "Ok, I can tell we're not going to be civilized about this so we're gonna open them up at the same time, got it?"  _

Papyrus seemed to be a little relieved and nodded as they both started opening their boxes. Diana ripped the bow, and started tearing at the paper like a madwoman, enjoying that there were many layers to the paper to tear. On the other hand, Papyrus opened his slowly and chose to tear softly at the tape and keeping the wrapping paper more or less intact. Finally down to the brown boxes that contained, they looked at one another and then opened the boxes, each letting out a gasp of surprise. Papyrus was the first to bring his out and it was an intricate constructed box that was painted black and its designs painted in red and gold. There were golden emblems and bones in scarlet color adorning the sides of the box and on top was a heart burned into the wood with his title, The Great and Stunning Papyrus. He tried to open it, but the top wouldn't come off. Diana let him fiddle a bit with it before she spoke up,  _ "it's a puzzle box! You...you have to figure the puzzle out to get the box open for what's inside."  _

He stared at her for a moment, his eye lights brightening at the notion he a new puzzle to solve and immediately went back to the puzzle, turning it every which way to start figuring out how to open it. It was obvious the top opened, but was inhibited by something and he noticed that the bottom of the puzzle wiggled slightly. He held the box carefully and found he could move the base of the box backwards a little and then the front of the base moved to the side, allowing the middle of the base's side to slide out, revealing a key inside. Diana looked on in amusement as he fumbled with it and brightened when he found the key. He set the key to the side and started looking for where a keyhole could be hiding. The front of the box had smaller decorative pieces, 5 in all, and the one in the middle with two bones crossing each other had lowered slightly. He slid it down, revealing a keyhole and fit the key inside, excited to see what lay inside.

The lock opened and he lifted the lid revealing a plush inside and produced two fancy looking tickets. ** _“WHAT ARE THESE TO-OH MY GOD.”_** He stood up suddenly, knocking his wine glass over and startling Diana, **_“YOU GOT RESERVATIONS TO RESTAURANT GORDON RAMSEY?!”_ ** Diana nodded, thoroughly amused by his reaction. Those tickets were a bitch to get and the plane tickets were expensive as fuck, but she deserved a vacation and she knew Papyrus adored Gordon and his cooking. Papyrus let out a very un Papyrus like shriek before coming back to reality and sitting back down, trying to stifle his happiness with his stoic expression. Too bad his starry eye lights and deep red blush painted across his cheekbones gave it away. ** _“*cough*, I MEAN, THANK YOU MISS DIANA. I APPRECIATE THE GIFT IMMENSELY...MAYBE TOO MUCH. NOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY GIFT?!”_**

Diana nearly forgot about his gift as she watched him react to her gift. She stared down at the box and opened it up, revealing the red wooden heart with the tiny inverted white heart in the top corner. She lifted it up and started to laugh, _“oh no, a puzzle box. Ok, don’t make fun, I don’t think I’ll solve it in record time.”_ She looked it over and deduced that the white heart piece was the first needed to be removed. She tinkered with it for a few minutes, finally finding the correct position to jostle it in before setting the piece on the table. With that removed, she was able to slide the top part of the heart off and could see the tiny outline of a hidden pocket. She glanced up at Papyrus and he was suddenly sweating bullets. 

She hovered over the secret compartment and removed it, gasping as a ring lay inside. It was a small silver band that had a black EKG monitor P wave with a large red heart in the middle. A ring specifically made just for her. She picked it up and held it up to see that there was writing engraved inside, 

_ “With Love, Bonebarian” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and boom goes the dynamite on actually starting getting the couples closer together. >)
> 
> If you need some visuals, her are the two puzzle boxes featured in the chapter! 
> 
> https://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/kalotart/10596455/hungarian_hinged_trinket_wooden_jewelry_puzzle_box_w_lock_key_br/handmade/seasonal/valentine_s_day/toys
> 
> https://www.thecraftyvision.com/listing/234484544/proposal-ring-box-puzzle-boxengagement


	15. Chapter 13

Everyone had gone back to the apartment after fixing sans’ Weenie Shack except for you. Under the guise of having to check something at the bookstore, you really were heading to a classroom on campus seeking one of your good friends. The mechanic’s classroom, for real though it’s technically a garage, was in the back of the campus and even if you were completely blind, you knew you were there from the constant noise of metal grinding, power tools, and the fresh scent of car oil. You were trying to meet up with your friend, Greg who had scored two tickets for you and sans to the local town’s car and motorcycle show. After the Christmas date that Diana went on with Papyrus and she let it slip about sans building Papyrus’ fully functional motorcycle, plus all the mechanic books you’d been supplying him, you hoped he’d enjoy something like this. 

Ducking into the garage, you spied Greg checking inventory and stocking various oils. You tapped him on the shoulder and he turned, a large grin spreading across his face. _“Holy Hell, [Y/N]! I didn’t think you’d actually show up! How are you?”_ You gave him a hug, squeezing tightly. Greg was one of the few friends you had at the college and it only just now hit you that it’s been months since you actually saw him in person. _“I’ve missed you, Greg! It’s been an interesting few months and between the bookstore and the whole sans incident, I haven’t had much time to go out.”_ Greg motioned to sit at one of the desks, _“so I’ve heard, you’ve gone full necrophilia on us. Didn’t take you as the kinky type, [Y/N].”_ You smacked his shoulder as he laughed, _“that’s fucking gross, Greg, he’s not dead and he’s not a zombie. He...just happens to be a skeleton monster. Two COMPLETELY different things”_

Greg snorted, _ “rrrrrrrrrrrright. Just so you know, if you show up with bite marks, I’m offing you before the Zombie Uprising begins.”  _ You rolled your eyes,  _ “did you get the tickets or not, Greg? I’ve got other things to do and sticking around your dirty garage while you judge my taste in men is not how I’m spending the night.” _ He stood and cleaned off his hands, _ “alright, alright! Geez, you’re no fun!” _ He produced the tickets from a lock box and handed them over. _ “You do realize James is going to try and fuck with sans, right?”  _ James was Greg’s boyfriend and well known prankster, no matter if they were human or monster. You smiled though, well knowing that sans could hold his own and probably put James in his place. _ “I think sans will do just fine with James, maybe he’ll even show him up with a prank or two.”  _ Greg stared at her, eyes wide with surprise,  _ “You think?”  _ You placed the tickets in your purse and made your way to the door, _ “guess we’ll just have to wait and see! Thanks for the tickets and we’ll see you tomorrow!” _

~~~~

The next morning, the taxi cab to the show was relatively quiet. Sans was initially over the moon when you produced the tickets the night before, but was very reserved in the car. _“Hey now, you doing ok? We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I just thought you would like seeing all the cars and motorcycles from all those textbooks you’ve been reading.”_ sans quickly glanced up and shook his head, _“nah, ’m good! Just...just kinda nervous that’s all. I, uh, never been around a large group of humans before.”_ He was starting to fidget around, pulling on some stitches on his jacket that had started to come loose. It was too warm in your opinion for heavy jackets, but having no skin or fat meant he wouldn’t overheat and you were pretty sure it was a comfort for him. At least he traded the turtleneck sweater for a regular red tank top. You held the hand that was picking, _“There are going to be some monsters there, too, sans. I think one's a female motorcycle gang and their leader's pretty bad ass. I actually hope we'll catch a glimpse of her and her gang. But, hey, I can always call Greg and let him know we couldn’t make it. He’d understand, sugar skull.”_ His gaze narrowed suddenly as his grip tightened. _“Greg?”_ he rumbled lowly. His face flushed dark red and you couldn’t help but smirk. Someone sure was jealous. He didn’t appreciate your smile and growled a bit, _“Alright, let’s get some things straight, sugar skull. First: Greg’s just a friend. Second: He’s gay and I’m pretty sure his boyfriend would fight me if I even thought about flirting with him. And Third..."_ You let his hand go and cupped his face staring into his eye lights, _“you know better”_ and kissed him before flicking his nasal ridge. He winced and scooted back, rubbing his face. _“Hmph, yeah yeah I do know. Wouldn’t hurt ta hear it again though.”_ You rolled your eyes and kissed him again, _“I’m yours, sans.”_

The car and cycle show was absolutely packed when the Uber rolled up. Sans still looked a bit nervous as you both exited the vehicle and you grasped his hand in comfort.  _ “I know large groups aren’t your thing, but let’s just walk around and see if anything catches your eye. If you’re still uncomfortable, we’ll head home and snuggle on the couch.” _ You were so good to him as he nodded and the both of you continued into the heart of the show. Dozens of cars lined the parking lot with people and monsters of all ages looking at the different classic vehicles with curiosity. Sans stuck close to your side for a few minutes, but upon seeing a car that was in one of the textbooks, his eye lights brightened and he left your side, shuffling over to it to stare down into the open hood. The owner let him peer down into the engine compartment and answered several questions from him. Sans almost seemed like a kid at the candy store. 

Eventually he remembered you were with him and pulled you over, pointing at the various parts of the engine and chatting happily with the owner. You don’t think you’d ever seen him this excited, if you didn’t know any better, you could’ve sworn his red eye lights morphed into small stars.  _ “...and  the ‘57 Chevy had like 3 models, the Bel Air, the Two-Ten, and the One-Fifty. Ya wouldn’t catch me dusted in anything less than the Bel Air.” _ You really didn’t know much about cars, but nodded anyway as he continued to babble,  _ “now I’d really like ta see a ‘66 Mustang up close. ‘ve seen plenty of them in those textbooks and the ‘cruise-o-matic’ was an amazing development for Ford! Sure wish I could build somethin’ like that.”  _ You smiled, now you knew that car and specifically someone who owned a bright, cherry red version. 

You grasped his hand and thanked the owner of the Chevy before pulling him away,  _ “I think I know someone who could help you out. Greg’s boyfriend James owned several antique cars, and his ‘66 Cherry Red Mustang was one of his most popular after he revitalized it.” _ sans’ grin nearly twice as big as you pulled him towards the back of the parking lot until you came upon the blazing cherry red vehicle and he nearly buckled in excitement. _ “[Y/N], you’re here!”  _ Greg suddenly popped up out from behind the vehicle and ran over, pulling you into a tight hug. The hug was quick as sans growled in displeasure. Greg paid him no mind and greeted him the same with a hug,  _ “Dude! You must be sans! I hear [Y/N]’s been spoiling you rotten! When she let me know you were into old cars, I knew you’d enjoy the show!” _ sans’ growls immediately ceased as merely offered a grumbled yes and took the hug, only resisting slightly. Greg laughed as he set him down and turned to whistle for someone.

A tall, dark haired guy squeezed his way out from the throng of women that was parading around him and walked up to Greg, throwing his arms around him from behind and planting a kiss on his cheek. Greg laughed and tried to pull away,  _ “JAMES, NOT IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!”  _ James laughed and came around to give you a hug as well. Again, sans growled and moved to stand in front of you once James released you. Rubbing his head, you tried to comfort him,  _ “down, boy, remember what I said now.” _ James snickered,  _ “does he bite?”  _ sans quickly responded,  _ “yep and I suggest ya keep yer hands ta yerself.” _ James took it a step farther and rubbed sans’ head earning a narrowly missed snap of teeth.  _ “JAMES! Stop antagonizing and show him the car!”  _

You ended the possible fight before it could stop and apologized,  _ “don’t mind him, Greg has his hands full keeping him in line as it is.” _ James stuck his tongue out but eventually pointed back to the car,  _ “well, little skellyman, you wanna see the Tart?”  _ You held onto him for a moment and kissed the crown of his skull, _ “don’t kill him, pretty please?”  _ His skull turned a light shade of pink as he gently shook your touch off him, _“no promises.”_ You let him go off with James and hoped he’d be ok. James wouldn’t hurt him, but he was a natural prankster and sans seemed to be his next victim. You and Greg couldn’t help but snicker as James pointed to something in the engine compartment and sans leaned in, only to jump backwards as a slight spray of oil from a can James had in his hand hit him in the face. James’ laughter was short lived as sans’ eye lights blazed and he started chasing him around the car, cursing up a storm.

_ “Should we stop them?”  _ you asked after watching them run a few laps around the car. You were actually surprised that sans was keeping a steady, rushed pace after James. Greg shook his head,  _ “nah, it’s about time James get punished for his practical jokes, besides the exercise is good for him. He’ll be fine.” _ The chase soon ended with James tripping and falling on his face. Sans huffed as he grabbed the oil can and tipped it over on James, covering his top and smugly smiled before heading back to the car’s open hood to look at it in peace. James was momentarily dumbfounded, but started laughing and eventually got up and stuck his hand out to sans in a peace treaty. You smiled as you had a good feeling of what was to come. Sans stared at the outstretched hand, a slight glint passing over his eye lights before he smiled and stretched out his hand to grasp his. James then let out a resounding shriek as he pulled his hand away and sans revealed a small taser buzzer in his palm. 

You were nearly doubled over in giggles and sans turned and stared, enjoying your bright, infectious laughter. Eventually James regained his composure and congratulated sans on a good prank before actually getting serious and going over the engine with him, even going as far to let him in the driver’s seat. He still had oil all over him and you left Greg’s side to go to the neighboring food truck for some napkins. This was going much better than you could’ve hoped. Sans had quickly adapted to Greg and James and seemed to be enjoying himself. You snagged a handful of napkins and turned to head back when you bumped into someone, knocking the napkins everywhere and your glasses askew. _ “Oh! Excuse me, I didn’t think anyone was directly behind me. Sorry about that!”  _ Your blood immediately turned ice cold as a familiar voice responded, _ “it’s been a long time, [Y/N], still blind as a fucking bat even with those giant ugly ass glasses.” _

 

Your douchestain of an Ex had found you.

 

Alright, so your Ex found you. You fixed your glasses, getting a better look at him and glared as you bent down to retrieve the napkins. His grin was malicious and he was obviously waiting for something. A cry for help Tears? He would get neither as you simply glared and tried to make your way around him. He suddenly yanked on your shoulder,  _ “HEY! I’m talking to you! Did you add deaf to your blind and dumb lineup?!” _ You wrenched away from him, _ “I thought I explicitly told you to stay away from me, Brian. I want nothing to do with your sorry ass.”  _ You turned again to walk away and he forcefully grabbed your shoulder, spinning you around and holding your wrists tight.  _ “You got a lot of nerve, bitch. Where’d you suddenly get a backbone from? You should be sobbing and begging for help by now.”  _

Your glared hardened even more,  _ “that was years ago, Brian. Time allows you to think and better yourself, though you’re still the same shithead you were before...maybe even worse now. Tell me, are you still having those college sophomores stroke your ego or did they eventually figure out what a lazy and incompetent fuck you are.” _ His eyes went wide with surprise, then darkened as he shoved you down to the ground. A small group of his friends crowded around, cutting you off from any escape. A sliver of fear echoed through your soul and after a moment, a familiar throb answered it. You really needed Greg or sans right now as you didn’t know how much longer you could run your mouth before Brian started throwing punches. He sneered down at you and kicked his foot hard at your side, rolling you onto your back. Your side burned, though thankfully he missed your ribs and hopefully only a bruise would remain.

He stood over you and knelt down, pinning you to the ground, grabbing your cheeks hard enough to bring tears to your eyes, though you wouldn’t allow him the satisfaction of seeing them fall. He started smacking you viciously, _ “you honestly think I wouldn’t find out you’re seeing that...monster?! I’ve been keeping tabs on you ever since you dumped me. You disgusting freak, I should just kill you right now for even thinking about fucking that thing.” _ His slaps were getting more violent and your lip eventually busted, trailing blood down your lip. You chose to spit it up at him when he took a moment to catch his breath.  _ “Better a monster who treats me like a human being than a piece of shit like you who gets his rocks off abusing women. Fuck off, Brian”  _ His group of friends oooh'ed and aww'ed at the comeback as Brian screamed in rage,  _ “Shut. The. Fuck. Up. YOU. BLIND. BITCH!” _ He accentuated each word with a harder slap before finally punching you in the face as your mind reeled in pain, your glasses long gone from his continuing assault. He got in a few good rounds before the crowd suddenly parted behind him and a tall figure appeared. You hoped it was Greg or someone that would make him stop.

He grabbed your abused cheeks again,  _ “now you listen here, slut. You’re gonna come with me and forget about that fucking monster and maybe, JUST MAYBE I’ll stop with just your face.” _ You spat at him again and he raised his fist again to strike, but it was suddenly caught by someone. Brian winced as the bones in his hand started to crack and pop under the pressure from the figure holding him. He glanced back and up into a large, fiery red headed fish woman with a dark eye patch dressed in leather. Their one good eye flashed as their sharp teeth spread into a large smile and they dragged him up and off you to dangle in front of their face.

**_“SO, YOU LIKE PREYING ON WOMEN WITH EYE PROBLEMS, PUNK??”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UNDYNE HAS ENTERED THE BATTLE.
> 
> Also, I don't know much about cars. >_<


	16. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick thank you to everyone who's been kind enough to give kudos and comment! :) I'm still not sure what's so enticing about this little story that keeps y'all continuing to come back but I truly appreciate it! Let me know in the comments what you've liked so far and maybe some ideas you'd like to see in the future! Enjoy!

**_"SO, YOU LIKE PREYING ON WOMEN WITH EYE PROBLEMS, PUNK?"_ **

The large fish woman that held Brian up looked over to you and frowned,  **"YOU OK?"** Your jaw hurt too much to properly answer so you simply raised your hand in a limp thumbs up to the side. You really weren't ok, but at the same time you didn't necessarily want Brian killed, even if he did deserve it. The pain was setting in and you groaned as you could feel your face starting to swell. There was a sudden surge in energy around you and suddenly sans and Greg were calling your name, forcefully parting the group of people to get to you. sans nearly fell on you as he assessed your wounds. He was at a loss of what to do.

_ "What...who...who did this?!"  _ He looked up in confusion to see the fish woman, _ "Undyne?! Who..."  _ His gaze fell on Brian and his bloodied knuckles, quickly putting two and two together, his eye lights extinguishing and his mouth pulling into frown as he started to growl.  _ "Turn 'em around, 'Dyne. I wanna see what the asshole looks like."  _ Rather than let go and turn him, Undyne merely grabbed his cheeks in roughly the same manner he did to you and twisted his head painfully to give sans a look. There was a throb in the atmosphere as sans' anger grew and his magic threatened to lash out. This wouldn't be good, with so many bystanders around, there was no way this would end with sans not being arrested and/or killed. You grabbed onto his jacket as he stood up and started towards the captive Brian _.  _ You managed to weakly blubber out, _ "no...don't...no...magic...don't want you...taken away."  _

sans stopped and turned to look at you, obviously torn, wanting nothing more than to eviscerate the scum that dare lay his hands on you AGAIN and to get you help immediately. He decided on the latter and knelt back down, cradling your head in his hand, trying to offer some healing magic. He wasn't proficient in it by any means, but he would do anything to help ease your pain. Thinking for a moment, he decided to let Undyne decide.  _ “Hey 'Dyne, what do you think we should do with a human male that likes to beat on women?"  _ His grin was sharp and tight as her smile spread just a little wider and she dropped Brian to the ground and quickly snagged his collar,  **"I'VE GOT SOME GALS WITH SOME EXPERIENCE THAT I THINK WOULD LIKE TO HAVE AN INTIMATE CHAT WITH THE HUMAN HERE."**

Brian started to struggle and twist uselessly in her grip,  _ "HEY WAIT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME?! GUYS, HELP! HELP!"  _ sans momentarily left you with Greg and leaned over Brian as he was dragged, making sure his claws pierced his cheeks as he held his attention, _ "looks like you're sh out of luck, Human. Let me make this clear, if I EVER see your fuckin’ face around here, let alone trying to even SPEAK with [Y/N] again. You and I are gonna have a bad time."  _ His eye lights flickered on and swelled, nearly taking over the socket and for a split second, a large ominous skeletal head hovered over him, pointing at Brian with its snarled maw opened as a low growl rumbled through the air and then suddenly disappeared. 

Brian's eyes were wide with fear,  _ "y-you can't do that! What was that?! You saw it! Somebody call the police!"  _ sans stood and watched as he was further dragged away and simply smiled at the other humans standing around,  _ "did you see anything?"  _ Most of them were smart enough to shake their head no and quickly dispersed, leaving Brian to his fate. Undyne was already dragging him away even more annoyed at his pointless screaming,  **"WAY AHEAD OF YOU, HUMAN. BUT FIRST..."** She dragged him over to a circle of motorcycles where women and female monsters were sitting and chatting on their bikes. She threw his body forward into the middle and sat on her cycle, moving it to complete the circle.  **"ALRIGHT, GIRLS, I GOT US A BONAFIDE BEATER ON OUR HANDS AND HOW DO WE FEEL ABOUT ABUSERS?!"**

Every woman and monster ceased their conversation and stood at attention, chanting together,  _ "WE ARE STRONGER THAN OUR ABUSERS. OUR ABUSERS WILL KNOW OUR WILL TO SURVIVE REMAINS FOREVER UNDYING."  _ Brian eventually sat up and was met with 12 angry stares with Undyne's firm gaze at the center of the group,  **"THE POLICE ARE COMING FOR YOU, BRIAN. BUT I THINK A LITTLE PUNISHMENT FROM THOSE WHO HAVE SUFFERED UNDER HANDS LIKE YOURS IS IN ORDER.”** Brian curled up into a ball,  _ “I don’t wanna die! Please don’t hurt me!” _ Undyne threw her head back as she laughed,  **“FUFUFU! DEATH IS TOO EASY OF A WAY OUT FOR YOU, ABUSER.”** She put the kickstand down and hoisted him up to his knees, wrenching his hands behind his back. The women formed a line and she held his head straight to stare at them, **_“_ HOW ABOUT A TASTE OF YOUR OWN POISON?” **

Undyne nodded and the group of women marched forward and one by one, slapped him across the face and yelled something hurtful, something sexist, something degrading, etc. Each woman and monster that came forward was yelling something that obviously was something they heard from their own abuser and the slap was but a miniscule decimal of the total physical abuse they received. Only 1 slap, 1 insult/horrible comment.  **“LISTEN WELL, ABUSER, THIS IS BUT A FRACTION OF WHAT MY GIRLS HAVE FACED. ABUSERS LIKE YOU WHO FEED OFF YOUR VICTIM’S PAIN AND SUFFERING, TELL ME, ARE YOU ENJOYING YOURSELF?”** Brian was shaking his head furiously and started crying, his face red with repeated slaps as the 30th woman came forward. Undyne nodded at the women and they stepped back as she released him and he curled up in the fetal position, continuing to cry even as the police came and silently took him away. One look from the cops said this wasn’t the first time they had to pick him up for something like this. 

You were sitting up now after getting some healing magic from sans and eating a monster candy he had in his pocket. You were shaking with adrenaline and clinging onto sans as he stroked your back and tried to calm you down. _“Easy, kitten, just breathe with me. Deep breaths, in...out...in...out. There ya go, yer safe and he’s gone.”_ Still shaking, but breathing better, you stared up into his concerned eye lights with a pained smile, _“I-I stood up for m-myself. I-I’m worth s-something.”_ Tears rimmed his sockets as held you close and kissed your forehead, _“Yer right, [Y/N], don’t let anyone tell ya otherwise.”_ You sat there for a little while longer before Greg and sans helped you to your feet and over to a picnic table. James had gotten some water and some napkins as sans wiped your face gently. Seeing that you were in capable hands, Greg and James stepped away, letting you know they'd call later to check on you.

A few minutes passed before a large shadow soon loomed over and you looked up to see the giant fish monster that had helped drag Brian away. **“YOU ALRIGHT, HON?”** You sniffled, wiping your nose before launching up and giving your saviour a hug, _“Not right now, but I’m a lot better than what I could’ve been. Thank you, thank you so much Ms.?”_ Undyne was a bit taken back by the hug, but returned it and gently sat you back down. **“THE NAME’S UNDYNE. ‘BRIAN’ WILL NOT BE GETTING OUT ANYTIME SOON, I ASSURE YOU.”** Some part of you felt guilty that he was going to jail, but you knew that was just leftover false guilt that he had drilled into you all those years ago. You watched as woman after woman went up to him and slapped and yelled something at him until he broke down crying. **“I CAN ALREADY SEE THE QUESTIONS SO LET ME ANSWER THEM FOR YOU. I WORK AS A SPECIAL VICTIMS INVESTIGATOR, MAINLY WITH SPOUSAL ABUSE VICTIMS.”** She pointed to the group of women that were consoling each other or back on their bikes and contemplating in silence, **“THOSE WOMEN ARE APART OF MY BIKER GROUP, DAUGHTERS OF DETERMINATION. THEY’RE WOMEN AND MONSTERS WHO HAVE SUFFERED FROM ABUSE BUT HAVE COME TOGETHER TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO OTHERS SUFFERING. HEH, MY GIRLFRIEND AND I RUN THE GROUP AND HOLD MEETINGS EVERY MONTH IN THE SURROUNDING AREA. AT THIS POINT, THEY'RE LIKE FAMILY AND I TAKE CARE OF THEM TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITIES.”**

She produced a card and handed it to sans,  **“IF YOU NEED SOME SUPPORT OR JUST OTHERS TO TALK TO THAT HAVE BEEN IN YOUR POSITION, WE MEET AT THE CONVENTION CENTER EVERY 3RD SATURDAY.”** sans pocketed the card, _ “she’ll think on it. I like to get her home now if ya don’t mind.” _ Undyne nodded, **“YOU’RE WELCOME TO JOIN HER AT THE MEETINGS, TOO, SQUIRT.”** sans muttered something under his breath and quickly changed subject when that familiar glint flashed in her good eye,  _ “Bro’s been lookin’ fer ya. Said somethin’ about him wanting ya ta meet his girlfriend for a battle of strength.”  _ Her eyes went wide with shock before she started cackling,  **“FUFUFU! YOU’RE TELLING ME THE TIGHT ASS ACTUALLY GOT HIMSELF A GIRLFRIEND?! I COULD’VE SWORN HE WAS GOING TO COME OUT OF THE CLOSET SOON ENOUGH!”** sans snorted,  _ “I’ll be sure ta let him know that, ‘Dyne. Give him a call fer me tonight, he’ll appreciate it.” _ She merely grinned and turned to head back to the group,  **“STAY DETERMINED, [Y/N], AND KEEP TRY TO KEEP THE SQUIRT IN LINE.”**

She whistled and a small yellow dinosaur monster strolled up to her and she hoisted her up in her arms and gave her a kiss, much to the smaller monster’s embarrassment. **“LET’S RIDE, GIRLS!”** Undyne put on a full armor helmet while helping what seemed to be her girlfriend put on hers and then helped her onto the bike. She revved her cycle and the others started up along with her. Without warning, she peeled out, her tires screeching and kicking up smoke before speeding out of the parking lot with her group trailing behind her. _“*sigh* if she keeps doin’ that she’s gonna wear out the tires. They weren’t cheap and she knows it. Fuckin’ stubborn fish, that bike was even more expensive than Paps'.”_ You let out a small giggle and snuggled close to him, clutching his shirt tightly as your jaw began to hurt again. _“I think we’ve had all the fun we’re gonna have today, kitten. Ya still up for some snugglin’ on the couch in front of the idiot tube?”_ You burrowed your face into his collarbone and mumbled a yes.

No one would mention anything about the human and skeleton that were sitting at the picnic table one moment and then suddenly disappeared the next moment without a trace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick chapter just because I had a little bit left over than I intended for the previous chapter, but only finished today. I know everyone was expecting an ass whoopin' from Undyne, but I feel what I wrote was better suited.
> 
> By the way, I do have a Tumblr! It's http://gettinziggywithit.tumblr.com/ It's your normal random blog with all sorts of fandoms meshed together, though Undertale is a big part of it as of right now. Come visit and chat!

**Author's Note:**

> Something that started out a small fic has turned into an ongoing crazy bunch of words strung poorly together to try and make a semi ok story. I really just wanted the little cherry sour shit, sans, to get some extra TLC, but look where we are now.


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